Lost in Memories
by xSilentWolf
Summary: Rukia was just a normal girl who existed during modern times, but how can she adapt when she accidentally goes back into history? Desperate to find someone to trust, but when she finds him, times deny them. Can they overcome their difference of times? AU ByaRuki / Minor mentions of other pairings - Rated M for future lemons.
1. Returning to the Past

**My second attempt at a Fanfic. Just began to write because it's Summer and I actually have time. Not too confident in my writing skills, but I just had this idea as I was watching a Chinese History movie. I used it as an opening, but however the plot develops is entirely based on how my brain decides to wonder. This story might sound a little fishy and weird, but I hope you'll stick with me. Hope you enjoy reading. **

**DISCLAIMER : I do not own any Bleach characters.**

* * *

Two lavender eyes were struggling to open when they barely made out a painting hanging on a wall. There were unusually elegant carvings on the white ceiling. Her head felt heavy, and every bone in her body felt stiff. She caught a movement in the corner of her eye which made her turn to her left. She soon felt something like a wet towel dabbing across her cheeks and forehead.

_Where was this…? Hospital? From where? The area is so strange…_

The woman walked away from her when two other figures entered the room. Her unfocused eyes could only make out the color of their outfits. She saw two of them in green and one in blue, each with weird designs that she couldn't clearly see… but that only made her wonder.

_Even the nurses' uniform is strange…_

As the one in blue walked towards her, the eyelids fell over the violet eyes.

* * *

When the violet eyes were opened once again, they immediately noted that the room was brighter than when they last opened. The bones in her body were tired and stiff, telling her to move and stretch. She shifted and slowly sat up on the bed. A second later, she felt waves of painful aches flowing through her head and raised a hand to sooth it. She felt something wrapped around her forehead, assuming it is a bandage. Moving the blanket aside, she looked down on the floor, trying to find her shoes. She found a white pair right next to the bed, but they were unlike shoes she had ever seen. They had a shoe form, sure, but it looked nothing like sandals and lacked the features of sneakers. Regardless, she slipped her feet into the shoes and sat up straight on the bed. Her mind went back to the pain in her head and she brought her hand in front of her.

_What the…_

When her eyes locked with her hand, her eyes widened. She sees her hand… very clearly. She brought her other hand to cover one eye… then covered the other.

_No way…_

Then she scanned her surroundings, her eyes marking every detail. Red lanterns, a big closet, four chairs surrounding a small round table with a teacup set sitting perfectly in the middle. Her eyes found a mirror, and she got up to walk toward it. She looked into it and saw herself. She had pale skin, short black hair, with a lock of hair hanging between her eyes, falling across her face down her nose. The ends of the strands were fray, noting the white bandage wrapped around her head. There was a blot of red on it, above her right eye. She raised her hands to touch it, and her mind wondered away to all kinds of different possibilities that could have led her into this situation.

_What is going on…?_

She walked around the room and she recognized nothing. Not the golden window with two scrolls of famous proverbs hanging on either side of it. Not the seemingly valuable yet old painting hanging on a perfect angle on another wall. Not the potteries sitting in the rows on a shelf. Not the three beautifully designed lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Not the big… She couldn't even tell what it is. It was like the bed she saw sleeping on a while ago, but it had a small table set in the middle of it with an incense burner sitting in the middle and two small rolls of pillows laying on each end of the "bed". She lifted her hands to her chest, closing her eyes and attempted to convince herself.

_Dreaming… I'm dreaming. After I open my eyes, I'll wake up._

"My lady?"

Her eyes shot open at the lady who called out to, or assumed, she was calling out to her. Shocked by the sudden voice, she jumped and took a few steps back. The woman in front of her was in green and her hair was up in a strange way… like those servants in the Chinese history movies she used to watch… and she dresses like one, too. The flower on her spread hair was pink, matching her clothes which were in different shades of green. The woman raised her hands to her face, using them like a speakerphone and started to scream to the direction of the door.

"My lady, you're awake! People! Come, master is awake!"

Confused and surprised, she tried to ask the stranger what is going on. As she was about to speak, the aching in her head came back to her. She brought a hand to her head once again. When the stranger saw her, she hurried to her and supported her on her side.

"My lady, you have just recovered. I'll bring you to your bed to rest."

The stranger guided her back to the bed but midway, the stranger's words registered in her mind and she snapped up at her.

"Lady? Master? You're a lady. Who are you?!"

The stranger had widened eyes and she seemed to be nervous at her words.

"Me? I… I am Kiyone, m' lady."

"Kiyone…?"

She paused for a moment, trying to search back into her memories to see if she had any recollection of that name… – Nope. None at all.

"What is this place?"

"T-this is your room."

Still no memories coming back to her.

"My room in what place?"

"Thirteenth—Thirteenth Prince's Mansion's room."

She didn't think she heard her right.

"Thirteenth Prince's Mansion? What Thirteenth Prince's Mansion?! . . . Prince? Emperor? Dynasty?"

The stranger gave her a nod… but… she can't accept it.

"What prince?! What emperor? You think you can say anything you want after wearing that?! . . . Pranking Television Show, right?"

She walked around the room once again, scanning the room quickly in hoping to locate a camera or some kind of recording device to prove her theory. She looked under the bed, on the ceilings, but she found nothing. She turned back to the stranger, who was now staring at her with complete confusion.

"Which television group are you in? You can't make jokes like this, you know!"

The stranger seems so intimidated by her sudden words; she fell back on the bed. She slowly got up and her face looked pale and… extremely nervous.

"M-my lady. What are you saying?"

"Still pretending? What time is it?"

"It… it just passed 12."

She was practically screaming by now. "I'm not asking you that! I'm asking you what time is this?!"

"K-Kiyone didn't lie to you! It did just pass 12."

At that, she grabbed the stranger by her shoulders and shook her hard.

"I'm asking you the year and month, the year and month!"

"My Lady! I really don't know! I don't know what time you are talking about…"

She stopped shaking her and patted her shoulders and took slow, deep breaths attempting to calm her shock and confusion. After taking in a final deep breath, she started to speak in a more casual and softer tone.

"This… is a dynasty. Which dynasty?"

"The Wen* dynasty…"

"Who am I?"

"My lady.", being completely oblivious to what she was really asking for.

"Lady what? Name?!"

"S-S-Shizuko R-R-Rukia."

Not catching the full name, she /tried/ to pronounce the sounds she heard.

"Shizuko… Chihuahua?"

"It's Shizuko Rukia."

They both turned to the lady entering her room. Nearly the same clothing style, but this woman was in blue, unlike the lady behind her, who was wearing an identical uniform with Kiyone. There was also another woman following her. She had long hair and it was worn as a long braid in front of her. Kiyone quickly ran to the "leader's" side upon seeing her, half crying.

"Lady Hisana. Lady Rukia is awake but… she asked me who I was… Do you think her brain got scattered…"

"Don't say random things… Please, Doctor Unohana."

The doctor behind the woman followed and walked up to Rukia. She placed an arm on her shoulder, asking if she was alright, but Rukia stiffened and moved backwards, not recognizing anyone or anything that was happening.

"Rukia… I am your older sister. Whatever happens, I'm here. Don't be scared."

With those words, she brought her hand to Rukia's and held it carefully. She seemed to relax ever so slightly at her words and warmth. The hand guided her to the bed once again with the doctor following. Rukia sat down and the doctor reached out for her hand. Unohana scanned her face and felt her pulse on her wrist. After a short while, she reported:

"Lady Hisana, from Lady Rukia's pulse, she seemed to have suffered an overwhelming shock, leading her mind to be a bit unclear. But, with medicine and care, after some time, she will get better. "

As Unohana spoke, Hisana just stared at Rukia with a worried expression. After a short moment of silence, she dismissed the doctor.

"Thank you, Doctor Unohana. Kiyone, take Doctor out and follow to get medicine."

Kiyone obeyed and followed the doctor out, leaving the two sisters and one servant behind. Hisana turned back to Rukia and sighed.

"Rukia. After taking medicine, resting a while, it'll be alright. Don't be too worried."

Rukia raised a hand slowly, and pointed at herself before hesitantly starting to speak once again.

"Shizuko… Rukia?"

Hisana nodded in approval. Rukia turned her hand so now she was pointing at her sister, whom she didn't even recognize. Hisana said her name, dragging out the syllables, so Rukia can hear her correctly and not call her another kind of dog name.

"Shizuko Hisana."

"Older sister? … Then… can you tell me what happened?"

"You fell down the stairs, and remained unconscious for a whole day."

"Fell down the stairs…?"

_But I was hit by a car…_

* * *

_It was night time, but the sound of traffic still wasn't ceased in the city. There were cars driving in the streets, people walking around the block, construction workers working on new advertisement board…_

"_Do you know what these are? High Pressured Electrical Wires! Without proper care, we're all going to die! Watch it!"_

_From a short distance, a man with orange hair and a woman with thick glasses can be seen arguing as they left a building. The man was following the woman, and when he finally caught up to her, he stood in front of her to stop her in her tracks by grabbing on to her hand._

"_Yuhina! Yuhina! Hina! Listen to me."_

"_We have nothing to talk about!"_

_She flung his hand away and continued walking to whatever direction she was facing. The man continued to follow her and yelled out her name repeatedly in attempt to stop her from walking. She stopped for a minute in the middle of the street to flame at him, leading the cars in traffic to honk._

"_What do we have to talk about? I work a night shift and you go cheat on me!"_

"_What cheating? Don't say it like that! And don't accuse anyone!"_

"_Who am I accusing? I saw it with my own eyes! I am farsighted but I'm not blind!_

_With that, she continued walking and the orange hair man yelled at the car to stop honking before continuing to follow her._

"_But hey, you saw it, too! I was just eating with Hime!_

"_Hime, calling her very warmly, eh?!"_

"_That's her name!"_

"_She's called Orihime! Not Hime!"_

"_But I always called her that!"_

"_Yeah, because you guys are 'pretend siblings'!"._

"_Yes, so you know her, too, as well!"_

"_I know her more early than you did!"_

"_Exactly! So what's the problem?"_

_With that, Yuhina stopped dead on her tracks and turned back to face Ichigo._

"_The problem is what's with you both!"_

"_What's with us both?"_

"_You have to hold hands when you eat?"_

"_That was her holding my hand!"_

"_Her head had to be on your shoulder?!"_

"_She rested her head on my shoulder herself!"_

"_Her lips went on yours by herself, too?!"_

"_Yeah!"_

"_Bastard!"_

_She slapped him across the face and resumed walking, but Ichigo latched his hand onto her arm and pulled her back._

"_Hey! Didn't you see her crying?!"_

"_Kurosaki. You really think you're the king? You think you're back in history? Three wives, four concubines, three thousand women waiting for you every night?! Let me tell you this, I, Yamato Yuhina, will not take this!"_

"_But I—"_

_A construction worker intruded their conversation and started to scream at the couple._

"_Hey! HEY! ARGUE AT SOMEWHERE ELSE, WILL YOU? WE ARE WORKING AND YOU'RE STEPPING ON MY WIRES!"_

_Yuhina looked down and her sneakers were right in the middle of a few wires._

"_Where did I step on your wires? Get the hell out!"_

"_And you still yell?! No wonder your boyfriend is cheating on you! You're asking for it!"_

_Both Ichigo and Yuhina turned to the worker at once. None of them were looking anywhere near happy._

"_Yo! That's none of yo—"_

"_My boyfriend doing whatever has nothing to do with you!"_

_With that said, she knocked the water bottle that was in the worker's hand and it flew away to a distance, landing and leaking near the wires, releasing steam._

"_And you're using your hands and feet now, eh?! "_

"_Using my feet? I didn't use them yet!"_

_The water leak and the wires caused an explosion, breaking one of the wires. The electricity running through it lost control and it flung everywhere while releasing electrical sparks. Attempting to move away from it in a panic, Yuhina moved backwards, only to be hit by a car. Her glasses flew and her body landed on the Chinese History museum advertisement board. The electricity ran in her body through the board and the last thing she saw, was a flight of red stairs, with a woman on top of the flight, walking away from her._

* * *

_* : Wen Dynasty [Fictional Dynasty, I used Wen because it meant Soul/Spirit in Chinese, matching for the Soul Society, the place for souls and spirits. [_魂_] ]_

_And as for the name Yuhina, I took it from the family of Rukia. If you didn't know, Rukia is a bird from the white-eye family. Yuhina is another bird of that family. I had to pick a name that is somehow related so it can actually stick with the topic._

* * *

**_I hope you enjoyed reading. Weird, yes. I had to use Ichigo and Orihime. I don't mean to offend IchiRuki fans but... I would jump off a cliff if Kubo made them together in Bleach. Well, I do not know what to say. Critics and reviews are welcomed. Any ideas, send me a PM. Thank you for reading. _**


	2. Emperor's Order

**Thank you for reading up until now. I was trying to update as soon as possible, like the day right after the first chapter because... it was the first chapter. XD I didn't know how to do this. Twisting my head for ideas and I found one. I wouldn't say I thought of it myself because my brain isn't that magnificent, but how the plot is going so far is entirely my own brain being rambunctious. This chapter is shorter than the last one because I wanted to end it in a way... You'll know when you read it. I hope you enjoy reading something from this novice writer. ; ;**

**Special thanks to : guest and PAMILA DE CASTRO for reviewing.  
**

**DISCLAIMER : I do not own any Bleach characters.**

* * *

A few days passed by, and Yuhina… or now, Rukia, had finally accepted that she time traveled back into the Wen Dynasty. She somehow rolled down the stairs and got a concussion that knocked her out for an entire day. She somehow ended up in the Thirteenth Prince's Mansion and the sister-in-law of Ukitake Jushiro, the thirteenth son of the Emperor, Yamamoto Genryusai*.

Her newly obtained Onee-san, Hisana, cares about her often, especially when Rukia was still in bed resting. The thing is, Hisana is… odd. The good way to say it is that she is pure and elegant. The bad way to say it is that she is weak and stoic. Perhaps after she married Jushiro, she wasn't loved by him more than his other wives. In a whole day, she spends at least half her time doing calligraphy, writing proverbs she reads from books. The only thing Hisana was worried about was her, caring for Rukia every moment. Rukia decided that if she cannot return back to her time, then Hisana will be the only one she can depend on.

Kiyone seemed to have been a servant for the two ladies of the household for the longest time, knowing both their likes and dislikes by heart. Even though Rukia doesn't remember anything at all, Kiyone's simple-minded personality made her easy to get along with, especially now that she follows Rukia as her personal servant. After Rukia recovered, she got tired of staring at the four walls in her room and made Kiyone walk with her around the mansion. As soon as Rukia got out of her room, though, thoughts suddenly rushed into her mind, which led to Kiyone having to run to catch up to her master.

"Lady Rukia! Lady Rukia! Hold up!", the female servant said in breathes while trying keep up the quick pace, but Rukia didn't show any signs of slowing down at all.

_Ten days already… I've been here being the sister-in-law of this Thirteenth Prince for ten days already, and I can only walk around this mansion doing absolutely nothing! _

Rukia abruptly stopped in her tracks, leading Kiyone to almost fall over Rukia. Being quick to react, Rukia caught her arm and held Kiyone steady.

"You alright?"

Kiyone took a few more breaths before shaking her head.

"Thank you, Lady Rukia."

Rukia continued walking and she thought of what she can do in this mansion. Hisana wouldn't allow her to leave, fearing that she might get hurt again, and saying that as part of a noble family, she should not be able to walk in the city with commoners without special permission. Rukia sighed at the thought of being locked up in this huge jail, but she had to admit, the features around the mansion were beautiful. Flowers, small lakes, trees, gardens, everything was organized perfectly. Though, she shouldn't expect anything less. This was a prince's mansion after all. Well, if Rukia can't return to her time, or even if she can but not now, she will have to play along in the role she's in right now. The problem is, she has no clue what's around here.

"Lady Rukia. The sun is flaring down on us. Should we return inside for cover?"

Rukia thought for a moment before nodding.

"Yes, I believe Onee-san should be already done with the daily calligraphy. Let's go."

Rukia wrapped her arms around Kiyone's and began to walk back, but after a few steps, Rukia paused and turned to Kiyone. She had on a big smile, with a hint of mischief hidden within.

"Kiyone. Let me test you."

Kiyone cocked her head slightly to the side. "What does Lady Rukia want to test me on?"

Rukia turned back to the road and resumed walking. "What is Otou-san's favorite food?"

"Peking duck?"

"Correct!", Rukia released Kiyone's arm and clapped her hands to praise her servant. "What does he like to drink?"

"Oolong tea?"

"Great memory! And Onee-san?"

"Shumai!"

"And me?"

"Custard Tart!"

"You're amazing!" The two giggled cheerfully as they head back inside the mansion.

* * *

Rukia went to her sister's room and gave her a summary of what she did and saw, which both were basically the same as the reports from the previous days. She said she was hungry, leading Hisana to instruct the servants to prepare a feast. When they came back, Rukia was pretty much about done telling Hisana about how boring it was to run around the mansion every day.

"Rukia, you had just recovered. The sun outside is blazing; are you not afraid of the heated air killing your brain cells?", Hisana said as she walked towards the dining table.

"I don't like the sun, but I just wanted to go outside and take a walk to loosen up. It's not good being in the same room for 24 hours.", said Rukia as she followed Hisana, sitting next to her on the dining chair.

"You do look better, but you still have to rest more often. Here, have a dumpling. It's made of _yan wo_*, made especially to help your health."

"Yan wo!", Rukia giggled before taking a bite.

"Rukia, you were such a monkey. You didn't know the meaning of sitting still and even our father used to yell at you all the time. But after your injury, it seemed to have fixed your personality. Now you're starting to be elegant."

"Really? So that's how your sister was like…", Rukia mumbled.

"What'd you say?"

Rukia caught her mistake and chomped the whole dumpling lifted between her chopsticks.

"Mmm! The dumpling is really good!", she said… before she realized she took the bite too big and the dumpling got caught in her throat, leading her to choke.

"Rukia? You alright?"

Hisana quickly started to stroke her back in hoping the food will drop down. Kiyone went to their side and poured a cup of tea from the teapot.

"Lady Rukia, here. Drink some tea."

Rukia quickly took the cup and gulped the tea down. She felt the dumpling going downward and coughed a few more times before she regained her posture. Hisana chuckled and shook her head.

"I just finished saying that you're starting to seem elegant, and now you're back to your old self again."

Those words led Rukia into deep thought…

_Should I tell her, that I'm not her sister, Shizuko Rukia? No… Even if I tell her, she won't believe me. If it doesn't work, she'll think I'm crazy._

"Onee-san, how long have I been here?"

"You forgot all these things?"

"Perhaps the bump on my head scattered some of my brain cells… so I don't remember a lot of things."

"You've been here almost three months."

"Then why am I here? I understand that I'm your sister, but this is you and your husband's mansion."

"Otou-san was deployed to military as a general and Oka-san died early. You wouldn't listen to Oba-san. The more she tried to consort you, the harder it is to control you. Fortunately, you still listen to me at times, so they sent you here."

"I see… And, Onee-san, I—"

Before Rukia can finish her sentence, Sentaro barged into the door. He was another loyal servant of the Ukitake household. He has dark hair and a short goatee, wearing a dark blue Shihakusho like all the other male servants in the household. Like Kiyone's faithful relationship to Hisana, Sentaro is ultimately loyal to Ukitake Jushiro. Before his master left, he was left with orders to be loyal to Hisana as he is loyal to the Prince. He and Kiyone were childhood friends, so they should be great accompany to each other. But there wasn't once that Rukia have seen them together without arguing or seeing one screaming at the other. Rukia finds this entertaining, especially when they go into a huge battle even deciding which kind of tea was more to her liking. The whole room stared at him as he was trying to speak between gasping for breath. Hisana smiled gently and shook her head slightly.

"Sentaro, Sentaro. Where are your manners?"

Sentaro took in a few more deep breathes before reporting in a loud voice: "I am deeply sorry, Lady Hisana! But I bring urgent news! Emperor Yamamoto just made an announcement saying that the pick for imperial consorts has been made early! It will be five days from now!"

Hisana gasped but Rukia looked at Sentaro in confusion; not knowing what was he talking about. She turned to her sister, and was about to ask her questions about it. To Rukia's surprise, Hisana eyes were widened and her mouth opened slightly in shock.

"Onee-san, what is going on?"

Hisana lowered her eyes to the ground and pursed her lips shut. After a short moment of silence in the room, she sighed and raised her head to look at Rukia.

"Rukia… The picking for imperial consorts is the picking of imperial ladies to serve the Emperor. All unmarried women with a noble status must attend."

Rukia's expression didn't change. After hearing the explanation, she still didn't get what was the big deal. Hisana was married to the Thirteenth Prince already, so why is she worrying so much? . . . Then Rukia's eyes widened as she realized that Hisana wasn't worried about herself… she was worried about her little sister. To confirm it, Rukia raised a hand and pointed at herself. Hisana sadly nodded.

"Yes… Rukia… You will be attending."

The last thing Rukia remembered was hearing voices screaming her name before blackness took over her.

* * *

* _Yan Wo : Popular and expensive food especially within the Chinese culture. Literally, it is the bird's nest, which gives a good boost in health when consumed._

* * *

**Uh oh. Yup, Rukia might have a chance of being Yamamoto's . . . 3001th wife? I don't know. I was watching another Chinese movie where this woman is doing everything she can to win the King's attention to gain power and wealth. So, I got this emperor's consort picking from that. Well, obviously Byakuya hasn't made his appearance yet. I'm positive that he will pop up within the next 2-3 chapters. And of course, I think it's quite easy to figure out where this is going so far. As an author, I shall surprise you, so do not be so confident of your ideas. Thank you for reading. Questions, comments, concerns, reviews, PMs, all welcomed. Even if you send me a PM saying this is so bad that you want to throw a grenade at me, it helps. Arigato gozaimasu. **


	3. Chanced Meeting

**Another quick update. My mind was nearly being destroyed trying to think of how to continue this. This writer is new and stupid and stupid and stupid and blahblahblah. So if you are reading up until now, I love you. This shall be the moment you are waiting for. Read on. :3 And also, below will clarify some culture and plot questions. Hope you enjoy reading. **

**Special thanks to ANF-ByaRuki and PAMILA DE CASTRO for reviewing last chapter. **

* * *

_**Clarifying**** cultures: I know that this is a Chinese History thingy, because this Dynasty is already labeled as "Wen", meaning soul in Chinese if you read the first chapter. I also used some honorifics, such as Onee-san, or Rukia/Hisana-sama or something, which is Japanese. Since this is a Japanese anime and I am Chinese, knowing much about both cultures, I decided to combine both, using some foods, honorifics, words, and etc. from both cultures.**_

_**Clarifying plot: As you can probably guess now, the head captain [or former head captain if you read the manga] will be the Emperor of the Wen Dynasty. MOST of the squad captains shall be the princes/princesses according to their squad number, leaving a spot for the oldest prince. [I will try my best to stick and refer back the anime as much as possible.] I have yet to decide who that will be. But the oldest will not necessarily be the successor of the Dynasty. So far, I plan to include all captains and most lieutenants in the story. When will they appear will only be a matter of time.**_

_**It was weird for me to decide to marry Hisana to Ukitake. :I I was torn between ByaHisa and ByaRuki. /sobs/ **_

_**I'm not really going to actually make age too much of a big deal in the story, but just to clarify, I'm going to make Rukia 17 in this one. In Chinese history, many women marry quite early, most on parent's consent. : I Some prince's/princess's age may be same, because y'know Kings. 500 wives can give birth in the same year. XD**_

_**DISCLAIMER : I do not own any Bleach characters.**_

* * *

_"Emperor Yamamoto just made an announcement saying that the pick for imperial consorts has been made early! It will be five days from now!"_

_"Yes… Rukia… You will be attending."_

_The last thing Rukia remembered was hearing voices screaming her name before blackness took over her._

* * *

Rukia strode slowly around the gardens in the mansion, her footsteps dragging so slowly like a zombie. Behind her was a worried and silent Kiyone, who would give anything to see her master jump happily again like she usually does. After Rukia heard the news of her having to attend the picking for imperial consorts, she blacked out on the spot. Fortunately, she woke up pretty soon. She got up before Hisana returned with Doctor Unohana, and insisted on to walk in the garden despite Kiyone's pleads for her to stay in bed. Knowing she can't stop her master, she had no choice but to follow. She wants to console her, but she has no idea what to say. When Rukia stopped to look into a small pond, Kiyone walked up to see what got her attention.

There were two frogs leaping happily together from one leaf to another.

Rukia's eyes narrowed in sadness.

"Even frogs can have the right to choose their own lover. Why can't I...?"

Remaining silent, the faithful servant couldn't reply to her words. Not that she couldn't, she just didn't know how.

Kiyone looked at her master. She has never seen her like this before. Rukia was always cheerful around everyone, rarely seeing her frown.

"Kiyone. Can you tell me what to do?"

The sight of her master like that was enough to make Kiyone cry. She felt water about to run down her nose and eyes, so she quickly sniffed it back in. Hearing the noise, Rukia turned slowly to look at her. Seeing her cry, Rukia smiled softly at her servant.

"It's alright, Kiyone. Do not cry."

"Y-yes, Lady Rukia." At her words, Kiyone quickly wiped her tears and nose with her sleeves.

Rukia turned up to look at the sky. She retraced back what had happened for the past couple of days. One night, she was arguing with Ichigo about him cheating on her with Orihime. Then their fight somehow led her ending up time traveling back to the Wen Dynasty. She was a woman from a noble family, with a sister named Shizuko Hisana married to the Thirteenth Prince, Ukitake Jushiro. She somehow rolled down the stairs and ended up with a minor concussion that led her to forget practically everything. As she was finally getting slightly adjusted to her new life, someone tells her she might marry an Emperor who's in his 80s waiting for death to take him. Her eyes narrowed further at the thought. She was from modern times, where anyone can have the right to pick his or her own lover. All her lifetime, she wanted a man that loved her as much she loved him. But now, her life was going to be controlled by a man whom she has no feelings for whatsoever. How is she going to accept that? . . . She won't.

_No way in hell she will._

"Kiyone."

Rukia suddenly sounded so firm that made Kiyone look up at her in surprise. Thinking her master had found some sort of solution, she walked up to her.

"Yes, Lady Rukia?"

"Where was the stairs that I felled down from a few days ago?"

"It was near the exit of the mansion."

"Take me there."

* * *

Rukia and Kiyone walked a short while before a set of long red-carpeted stairs was in front of them. The set of stairs were supported by columns on either side. As the level of steps goes higher, a shorter column is used, leading a long roof with elegant carvings parallel to the stairs. At first, Kiyone was hesitant lead them there, but Rukia had this determined and serious look on her face, another expression that she rarely saw, and that alone was enough to make her obey any of her orders without question.

Rukia looked slowly from the bottom step all the way to the top.

_This was where I landed after the time travel..._

Rukia laid a foot on top of the first bottom step.

_Then this... is how I will go back._

Moments later, she was on top of the staircase. Looking back down on the steps, she moved one foot slightly forward to the edge.

_Possibility one, return back. Possibility two, severe injuries. Possibility three, death._

She slowly dragged her other foot to step forward.

_Totally worth it._

As she was about to bend down and push herself down, Kiyone jumped in front of her, with her hands spread out to block her. The servant gulped before hesitantly started to speak.

"L-Lady, Rukia. It's time to go back. Lady Hisana is waiting."

Rukia blinked multiple times. Did she really try to, or was about to roll down a flight of stairs on purpose to see if she can return to the past? . . . Now that she think about it . . . It sounds ridiculous. Was her soul supposed to fly out after the bump and fly back to modern time? Snapping out of her thoughts, she moved slightly backwards to regain posture. Kiyone slowly lowered her hands and moved toward Rukia.

"Rukia-sama? Are you feeling alright?"

Smiling slightly, Rukia nodded. "I am fine, Kiyone. Let's head back."

* * *

After the master and servant got down from the stairs [with no accidents], they returned back to Rukia's bedroom. Hisana was there waiting with Doctor Unohana. After Rukia's convincing that she's fine and doesn't need to be checked, Unohana left. Later then, Hisana lectured to Rukia about running off everywhere after having a concussion and fainting from shock. Rukia probably had to assure her 50 times before Hisana agreed to leave and allow her to rest. Alone in her room, Rukia laid down on her bed staring at the ceiling.

Rolling down a flight of stairs and a soul will fly out of a human body and time travel.

Rukia nearly laughed at the thought. How ridiculous. Yes, she knew it was ridiculous... but what other choice does she have? The worst thing that can happen as a result was her death, and that is already better than her marrying an 80 year old man whom she has never even met yet. She will rather die than have that ending.

* * *

Dinner time came around and Rukia found herself sitting on the chair next to Hisana like the usual dining routine. As cups are being filled with tea and plates of food were being placed on the table, Rukia's mind began to swim back into her worries. In five days, she will have to enter the Emperor's Palace, either be chosen to become a concubine, or either serve a master until the age of 25 before the Emperor chooses a husband for her. Of course, the second option seemed better, but she still couldn't accept the way her life is being controlled. It was telling her that the past 17 years of her life was a lie. She sighed at the thought, and Hisana must've sensed her thinking because she has been staring at Rukia for the longest time.

"Rukia. You alright?"

Hearing her sister's voice, Rukia snapped out of her thoughts before replying.

"Yes, Onee-san. I'm fine."

Hisana stared at Rukia thoughtfully before nodding slightly and took a small bite at a shumai between her chopsticks.

"Onee-san, can you tell me more about the imperial choosing?"

Hisana turned to look back at her sister. She nodded and laid down her chopsticks elegantly on the bowl of rice in front of her. Sighing softly, she began to speak:

"Rukia, every three years, there is an event which unmarried women from all noble families over the age of 15 must attend. The ones that are chosen will marry the Emperor and serve him for their lifetime. The ones that are not chosen will be assigned to different jobs to work in the palace until the age of 25. Once they've reached the appropriate age, the Emperor will release them and if lucky, the Emperor will assign some to marry into a noble family or prince."

Rukia silently digested everything her sister was telling her. So, she will enter this imperial choosing and if she is lucky, she will _not_ get chosen as the Emperor's future sexual relieving toy. Then she will have to work for years somewhere in the palace and then if she lucky, she will _not_ be assigned to a marriage. That requires so much luck, and Rukia knows, that not a lot of it is on her side right now.

* * *

A few hours later, after Rukia finished dinner with Hisana, she said she was full and wanted to take a walk. Kiyone was about to follow, but she instructed her to ready some dessert for later. That leaves Rukia alone, walking in the garden under the night sky accompanied by a couple of shining stars. Her thoughts made her walk mindlessly in random directions. A while afterwards, she found herself looking at the flight of red stairs again. When she saw the stairs, her mind began to have conflicted thoughts.

_If I roll down, I can go back to my time._

She walked up the flight slowly, and stopped when she reached the top.

_If I fail, worst case scenario, I die._

She started the procedure again, moving her right foot first to the edge of the stairs.

_That is already better than marrying some old man. _

Her left foot followed slowly, and as just she was about to command her left foot to step out a whole step, a cool voice from behind was heard.

"If you take another step, you're going to fall."

Shocked by the sudden voice, Rukia lost balance and braced herself for the incoming pain that she was going to feel. But instead, she felt a firm arm holding her steady wrapped under her waist. When she looked up, her violets caught a pair of cold, misty grey eyes.

* * *

**Gah, I'm sorry if that was too short for you, but I had to end it like this for a minor cliffie. XD Misty grey eyes... Kufufu- Who could that be? [Quite obvious. :I] Again, this author wants to thank you very much that you read all the way up until now. Thank you for following if you did. Questions, comments, concerns, reviews all welcomed. Send me a PM anytime to correct or suggest an idea or wotnot. XD Arigato Gozaimasu. **


	4. My Permission

**Sorry for the wait. I usually update once every few days, but for the past week, my brain hasn't been producing /any/ ideas at all. I was literally crying and screaming trying to think about ideas. But I felt the need to update today, because one of my favorite author from FF returns and updated a great story after a long wait. :3 My brain has been dead for the past few days. xD Then I don't know what, something just got on me and I began surfing Youtube, watching sad death scenes from random animes, like the death of Itachi and Jiraiya from Naruto. Then I watched the death of Kaien and Hisana from Bleach. Etc etc etc... Then I got all these sad feels. It didn't help with my motivation or inspiration in writing but bleh. I was crying my eyes out in those scenes. ; ; To make up for the wait, this chapter is nearly twice the length of my previous chapters. Hope you enjoy reading. Same speech again, this writer is stupid. I really would like to thank all of you guys who read up to now. It means a lot, really. **

**Special Thanks to VKLOREO23, PAMILA DE CASTRO, velvetsins and sphinx for reviewing. Especially thanking PAMILA DE CASTRO for reviewing since my first chapter. Another special thanks to velvetsins for reviewing all three chapters in one day and in great length, too. It really made my day. Arigato gozaimasu. **

**This chapter is going to introduce some characters and dressing styles. Even room decorations. Man, those are a pain. So far, the furniture and rooms are based in Chinese culture. Then the kimonos and dressings are mostly Japanese. It's really painful trying to describe all the furniture and details of the clothing without boring the crap out of the paragraph. I tried. I wish I can do better, but GAH. THIS WRITER IS STUPID. /sobs/ **

**Hope you enjoy reading anyway. Forgive me if I didn't entertain you. ; ;**

**DISCLAIMER : I do not own any Bleach characters.**

* * *

_Shocked by the sudden voice, Rukia lost balance and braced herself for the incoming pain that she was going to feel. But instead, she felt a firm arm holding her steady wrapped under her waist. When she looked up, her violets caught a pair of cold, misty grey eyes._

* * *

"Are you alright?" The man spoke in a cool, emotionless voice.

Rukia stared at the shadowy figure that apparently just "saved" her. The moonlight resonated slightly under the roof and she only could make out part of his features. His silky black hair which reached past his collars was flowing gracefully with the guide of a slight wind. Rukia can barely make out anything else under the darkness, but she is sure that this man was quite handsome. After briefly analyzing the man, her thoughts jumped back to what just happened. She was about to roll down the stairs and return to her time… and this man stopped her. It was probably her only chance of returning and he just ruined that chance. The realization of that made Rukia mad, even though her sub-consciousness was telling her to reason. This man didn't know and saw that she was about to fall. In his eyes, he saved her. After that brief reasoning, that angered Rukia even further. He thinks he saved her, but in her mind, he sealed her fate in hell and that was enough for her to flip at him. She forcefully moved his arm away and stood back from him before clenching her fists in rage.

"Who told you to stop me?!" Rukia shot a death glare at the man.

His grey eyes widened slightly before he spoke. "You were about to fall."

"And is that any of your business?!" She was basically popping in rage.

"Shouldn't you be grateful?" The man said in a slightly confused tone.

Rukia knows she can't really blame him, since he didn't even know about her. She took a moment to regain her posture and closed her eyes before sighing deeply. When her eyes reopened, the violets made contact with subtle curious grey eyes.

"This is the Thirteenth Prince's mansion. Who are you and why are you here?" Rukia asked in a calmer tone.

The man remained silent for a moment before turning away from her stare and proceeded down the stairs towards the exit. Rukia followed, even though she wasn't sure why. She was waiting for an answer, thinking he'll give her one as they were walking down. But the man remained silent even after they reached the last step of the staircase. With the roof gone from above, the moonlight shone on the two. From the back, Rukia could only see him dressed in plain white robes with a high collar featuring light gold edges. When he didn't say a word as he walked towards the exit, Rukia asked once again.

"Who are you?!"

The man stopped in his tracks after his feet stepped outside the exit. He didn't turn around, but the lack of emotion in his voice was enough to send some chills down Rukia's spine.

"It's getting late."

Those were the only words he said before he moved into the darkness and Rukia found herself alone once again under the moonlight.

* * *

After encountering the mystery man, Rukia returned back to her room where Hisana was waiting. Once she saw Rukia, she informed her that Sentaro came in earlier and reported the Thirteenth Prince will return tomorrow from his task. Normally, Rukia would be somewhat excited to know that she'll be finally meeting a prince, but after her eventful night, Rukia just nodded before telling Hisana that she was tired and wished to rest early. After that, Hisana left and Kiyone returned with dessert, but she obviously didn't have the appetite. Rukia dismissed Kiyone as well, and she was alone in her room. Laying on her bed and staring at the ceiling, she wondered why she didn't climb up those stairs again after the man left. Perhaps it was because that it was her second attempt and she lost the motivation for it. Her brain was swimming with thoughts between the man and ways of how she is going to return to her time.

_Who was he? What was he doing here? And how am I going to return? What happens if I die in this world? What is my body doing back in my time? _She made up random answers for those questions and tried to find one that made sense. _The man got lost in a nighttime walk and just happened to see her about to fall. My body is in a coma in my time and once I die here, I will die in my time as well. Wait a minute… _

She realized none of those made sense. She tried to guess more answers, but she noticed that the more she tried to guess, the more atrocious it started to sound. Before she knew it, her mind had already wondered off to dreamland.

* * *

"Rukia-sama. Rukia-sama!"

The morning lights leaking from the windows hit Rukia's face and its warmth made her feel uneasy. She was having a nice sleep, but there is the sun and this voice that wouldn't stop calling her. She turned away from the sun, and hid her head under the blankets, hoping the voice would stop. When it didn't, Rukia groaned before trying to cover her ears to drown out the voice repeating her name. When she finally got tired of it, she yanked the blanket away, sat up and threw her arms in the air when she saw Kiyone.

"What is it?! I'm really sleepy!" Rukia said in a loud volume.

"I am deeply sorry, Lady Rukia!" Kiyone bowed slightly to apologize to her master. "But Prince Ukitake is going to return soon and we must prepare!"

Rukia groaned at the reminder. Yeah, true… She knows she should put some effort into making at least a good impression. Maybe the prince will even help her to put her off the list in being chosen for the emperor's consort. But at that moment, all she cared about was sleeping.

"What do we need to prepare…?" Her voice came out weaker than before, only because she was too tired to put any energy into it.

"Please wash your face, Rukia-sama. Hisana-sama is waiting and she will teach you some basics on giving respect to the higher ranks."

Rukia raised her hand to cover her mouth before attempting to suppress a yawn. She sighed at her schedule, but she nodded continuously, signaling to get up. No later when she pulled the blanket away and set her legs on the floor, she plopped right back down on the bed, leaving Kiyone nervously trying to shake her awake for the next half an hour.

* * *

When Rukia finally got out of bed, it was because Kiyone threatened her with the consequence of Hisana's wrath, though she highly doubts it because she has never seen her Onee-san even made an angry expression before. Well, she wasn't about to take risks so she dragged herself out of bed. Kiyone explained that because this will be the first time Rukia is seeing the Prince, Hisana requested that even though it's a family feast, Rukia must dress more appropriately. Not knowing anything, Rukia just agreed to it and stood still as Kiyone dressed and put make up on her. After twenty minutes or so, Rukia started to feel a bit sweaty. She asked Kiyone how many layers of clothing is she wearing, and when Kiyone said only six, Rukia gave her a what-the-hell face. Rukia regretted asking right after Kiyone said that she forgot to put on another piece of clothing for her, and Rukia released a sound of a dying whale.

After Rukia was dressed, she found her way to the greeting room of the mansion. Her clothes were thick and heavy, but she had to admit that it was beautiful. The green kimono matched with her silky pink scarf around her neck, but she just doesn't understand why would she have to wear so many layers when it's not even winter, yet. Kiyone opened the two doors to the room and Rukia entered before she followed. The room was designed beautifully, obviously to suit the position as the Prince of the Emperor. A painting was hung in a perfect angle in the back of the room with two Chinese proverbs hung on either side. At the bottom of the painting sits a rectangular table with graceful designs. On the table were two lit candles and plates of various fruits. In front of the table sits two chairs facing the doorway with a small squared table separating them. Then there were two rows of seats facing each other with equidistance from the end of the door opening to the other. Hisana was already there, sitting elegantly on one of the two chairs in the back. Sentaro was dutifully standing beside her. Rukia gave greetings to her sister and sat down on the first chair in the row where her sister was the closest. A moment after she sat down, Rukia began fanning herself with her hands. Soon after, she couldn't take it anymore and sat up, walking to her sister.

"Onee-san! If the prince isn't returning in a minute, I'm going to go change! This is living torture!" Rukia was gasping for cool air between her words.

Hisana only giggled before picking up her cup of tea from the small table next to her. "Just wait for another few moments. "

Rukia groaned slightly at her reply. She looked out the door and got an idea that might save or relief her for a moment of heat.

"Onee-san. I'm going to go to the restroom." She grinned slightly while turning away from her sister.

Hisana only nodded, "Alright. Kiyone, go with her."

Kiyone bowed and nodded, but then Rukia exclaimed that she will go on her own, and rushed out of the room before Hisana could give a reply.

* * *

Rukia began to walk around the mansion, hoping that there will be a cool wind to relieve her. When there was none, her legs wouldn't stop walking and jumped around cursing the heat under her breath. When she started to feel small beads of sweat forming on her forehead, she began to wonder to herself.

"Are old-history make-ups water resistant? What if it gets ruined?" She cocked an eyebrow up curiously.

After a moment, she gave in to the heat and disregarded proper manners before covering her face with one hand before wiping her face with the other sleeve on the kimono. Then suddenly, she saw a handkerchief held in front of her before a warm voice followed.

"Don't cry anymore."

The voice made her drop her hands and her violets met a fairly handsome face. His white hair was worn in a long ponytail that cascades down his back nearly reaching his waist. His hair parted on the left side, leaving a long piece that falls over his right eye with the color of hazel.

"You are…?" Rukia looked at the man curiously.

"You must be Rukia." The man gave her one of the kindest smiles she had ever seen.

Rukia jumped back slightly at the mention of her name. How does he know her? Then she looked down and observed his clothing. Long white sleeved kimono, with emerald linings featuring at medium-low collar designed with a dragon with gold and silver lining. Dragons are the symbols of a mystical creature, also symbolizes descendants from god, meaning the Emperor. Her violets widened at the realization and she quickly bowed before the man.

"Prince Ukitake!" Rukia cried out nervously.

The man only widened his smile before nodding. "I thought you were crying."

"No, no, no. I was just wearing too many layers of clothing and the heat created some sweat." Rukia raised her head and laughed nervously.

Ukitake wondered at the girl in front of her, considering that he hadn't expected his elegant wife's sister to be so… open.

"I heard that you fell down the stairs some time ago. Be careful next time."

Rukia could only give a small sound and nod of acknowledgement, but the prince could only smile warmly at her. He started to walk past her, heading towards the greeting room. Rukia sighed in relief before following him. She could have never imagined that she was going to bump into a Prince this way. She wonders in what other kinds of situations she will meet the other princes...

* * *

The two returned to the greeting room, but it was slightly different. There was an additional three men sitting on the previously empty chairs. When they saw Ukitake, they all, including Hisana and the two servants that were quarreling a minute ago before their entry, greeted and bowed. Rukia also bowed on instinct, considering that if a prince bows to them, then of course she will need to as well. When their heads rose, Rukia looked at the three men. Her violets immediately widened at the sight of a man whom she recognized. How is it possible to not recognize the pair of emotionless grey eyes? Ukitake seemed to have seen her expression and decided to introduce the three men.

"This is Rukia." He signaled to her figure. "She is the sister of my wife, Hisana."

The three men looked at her briefly before nodding. As before, the bearer of the grey eyes had no emotions. Now with light, she saw him more clearly and he obviously looked more… handsome. His jaws were sharp, matched by a set of thin lips on a perfect face. He was tall and lean, dressed in white robes similar to Ukitake's, only with dark blue lining. Everything about this man seemed flawless, unlike the man beside him.

The second man was also tall, even taller than the one with misty eyes. This man had grey eyes as well, but unlike the other man, his greys were much darker. His hair was brown, long and wavy, tied in a long ponytail with bangs that fell down from the left side of his face. His robes were also white but it was decorated with a crimson flower pattern. The only things that this man can beat the other with are height and the show of emotions. Like Ukitake, this man can smile warmly, leaving Rukia a fairly friendly impression. Then she noticed this man looking back and forth between her and Hisana, which was totally understandable by her. They practically looked nearly identical, except she was shorter and had some differences in style. She couldn't blame the man for being curious, or even shocked. When her eyes met the other man, who was nearly half the size of the other two, she realized that they were nearly the same eye level… except… even she was taller than him.

The little man had turquoise eyes that reminded Rukia of ice. His hair was white, like Ukitake's but his was short and spiked. His white robes were lined with a turquoise color, matching his eyes. His facial expressions were nearly clones to the one with misty grey eyes. Emotionless, but due to his height, the stoic face made him seem more mature and serious.

"Rukia, these are my brothers, also princes. Sixth Prince, Byakuya." Ukitake raised his arm to point at the master of perfection and stoic expressions. Rukia's violets widened slightly.

_So this man is also a Prince… _

"Then Eighth Prince, Shunsui." Ukitake's arm moved to the next man who was smiling warmly at her. Seeing this smile, it made Rukia slightly more comfortable. She nodded to him as well, but with a more revealing smile.

"Finally, Tenth Prince, Toshiro." Ukitake smiled at the small man, but received only a short scoff in reply. Rukia briefly wondered how this prince who was older than Ukitake can be so short before nodding slightly.

After the introductions, they all moved to the dining table where Hisana signaled Kiyone to begin serving plates of food. They all sat down, and Rukia couldn't help but feel slightly more uncomfortable. Well, how was she supposed to react while sharing a table of food with four new princes she'd just met? As the final plates of food were set on the table, Ukitake turned to Hisana, who was sitting right next to Rukia.

"Hisana, how is your health?" Ukitake asked with a warm smile.

"I've been fine, Ukitake-sama. Thank you." Hisana's expression formed a reciprocal smile and nodded.

Ukitake seemed relieved that his wife's health was fine and his face relaxed to an even more warming expression. Then when everyone's gazes turned to Shunsui, who was still moving his head back and forth between Hisana and Rukia, Ukitake couldn't help but ask.

"Shunsui. Is something the matter?" Ukitake asked with subtle curiosity.

The Eighth Prince sighed before crossing his arms with a smile. "The sisters are identical. If you put them in the same clothes, you can barely tell the difference."

At those words, Toshiro turned to stare at the sisters while Ukitake merely chuckled. Byakuya didn't seem to care while he silently chewed some rice.

"They do look rather similar, but no need to make a big deal out of it. Besides, the younger one is much shorter than the older. Eat, Shunsui." Toshiro said before raising his chopsticks to put some food into his mouth.

Hearing those words, Rukia gave him a mild glare.

"Oi! We are nearly the same age and you call me short? If I'm short, you're puny, you elementary school kid!"

Rukia began popping with rage. She never liked anyone making fun of her height, especially not someone who is even shorter than herself. But as soon as her words ran out of her mouth, her lips were shut tightly. Everyone was staring at her, including the emotionless Sixth Prince. She just insulted and yelled at the Tenth Prince of the Emperor. Can her life really end like this? Then Toshiro's forehead newly popped vein led Rukia's violets to widen slightly.

"I am NOT an elementary school kid!"

Toshiro's words echoed throughout the whole mansion and into the skies.

* * *

After the eventful dinner, Rukia was surprised that she wasn't punished, especially after she literally insulted one of the princes about his height. The dinner ended and everyone, including the four princes, Hisana and Rukia, escorted the princes to the exit as a form of politeness. Along their way, Rukia wondered why Byakuya hadn't said a word to her.

_Isn't he going to ask about last night?_

After they reached the exit, Ukitake informed Hisana that they need to report to the palace for duty. Hisana nodded and bowed at their leave, but Byakuya stood still and didn't say a word before the other princes left. These were going to be the first words she heard today from him.

"Rukia. May I have a word with you?"

Byakuya's expression remained emotionless, but Rukia and Hisana looked dumbfounded. Hisana glanced at Rukia before nodding and left the area with Kiyone and Sentaro. Soon, only the two were together in the garden. Byakuya took steps toward Rukia. Even though Rukia's fear is telling her to back away, her legs were rooted to the ground. Thankfully, Byakuya stopped when they were at a respectable distance. Rukia looked up into his misty grey eyes, completely unaware what his intentions may be.

"B-Byakuya-sama." Rukia managed to croak out nervously.

"That wasn't an accident."

Rukia's violets widened at his words.

"You were about to step off and rolled down on purpose. You want to die."

His voice was deep and contained a powerful tone of authority. It was enough to make Rukia fidget. She couldn't find the right words to say. She could only remain silent as the misty grey eyes captured her.

"Next time if you want to die, I won't stop you."

"I only did it because I want to live!" Rukia immediately responded.

Byakuya had a slightly confused expression, but regained it neutral form once again after a brief moment. He didn't say a word and waited patiently for her explanation.

"There are too many things I can't let go. Why would I want to die?" Her eyes narrowed at her thoughts and words.

"Your explanation is odd."

His voice was in the calmest and steadiest tone with a hint of superiority. As he was about to turn to leave, he heard a voice that made him stop.

"Byakuya-sama… Arigato."

Byakuya turned back to her after hearing those words. He didn't understand why she was even thanking him. Didn't she flare out at him because he saved her? And hell, to be honest, Rukia doesn't even know why she was thanking him herself. She just felt the need to… the need to say thank you to him. Then Byakuya began to speak again, and Rukia paid full attention to each of his words.

"I saved your life. Therefore, from now on, you may not die without my permission."

Following his words, a small breeze of wind found them and led their kimonos, hair, and scarves to flow gracefully in the direction of the wind. Rukia's violets could only widen, while she couldn't find any word she learned from her life time to reply to him. Soon, Byakuya walked through the exit and left Rukia alone once again as another breeze blew by.

* * *

**Byakuya... So bossy. ;o Bad boy. XD I tried to make some funny scenes in here, like Toshiro's height and Rukia plopping back down in bed. [If I was Rukia, I would plop right back down, too. XD] Well, introducing three new princes, Byakuya[not really new, but new intro?], Shiro-chan and Shunsui. I would like to thank you for reading. Means a lot. Really a lot. Thank you to my followers. Just thank you, thank you, thank you. Questions, comments, concerns, reviews. Send me a PM if you want to suggest an idea or want to beat the crap out of me in graphic detail. You may include blood and gore, just not in the reviews please. ; ; I don't want to let people see me in blood. XD Thank you again. Forgive me if the next chapter takes another month to update. Ideas just go into my mind and I don't know when it does. When I don't have motivation or inspiration, my fingers can't move. ; ; Bear with me? Arigato.**


	5. Our Festival

**I am sorry for taking so long to update. I have no inspiration. I completed this chapter at 5AM and since my eyes are a bit dead, there might be some grammatical or spelling errors. Spare me, please. I will change it once I am awake. XD Here you go, new chapter. Introducing some new characters and la. Half of this will be a lecture about Chinese culture. Ha. Learn something new during the summer outside of school. That's a good thing. :3**

**Special thanks to velvetsins, PAMILA DE CASTRO and RagelvlitsOver9000 for reviewing. **

**Yes, thanks for the good motivation, Rage. XD **

**Hope you guys enjoy reading. I am an amateur author. ; ; Keep that in mind.**

**DISCLAIMER : I do not own any Bleach characters. **

* * *

"Prince Byakuya. These are the assignments and papers that the Emperor wishes for you to go over."

As if he didn't hear anything, Byakuya's hand did not stop moving as it guided a brush pen to create graceful strokes of calligraphy on the white paper. The red haired advisor must've thought the same thing so he opened his mouth to repeat what he said. No later than his lips parted, the brush pen withdrew from the paper, before it was set at a perfect straight angle on top of the pen holder. Byakuya finally raised his head to face the man in front of him with a stack of documents balanced in his hands.

"Set them on the table, Renji."

Renji nodded and set the stacks of scrolls neatly on the big desk. After clearing his hands, he pulled out an envelope from his sleeve and dipped his head down before presenting it to the prince respectfully. Byakuya extended his hand to receive the envelope and tore off the seal crest with a dragon engraving, the mark of an imperial order. Removing and unfolding the letter, Byakuya scanned the lines of writing quickly and carefully. When his eyes landed on the last word on the paper, he folded it back to its original position and opened a drawer in his desk, placing it on top of the multiple folded papers that were already neatly placed inside.

"Renji, Emperor Yamamoto states the spy from the _Shijian*_ Tribe will be reporting in tonight. We shall go meet him."

"But, Byakuya-sama, the _Lantern Festival** _will be held tonight." Renji stated.

"Yes. It will be a good cover to mask our meeting in the crowd. No one will notice." Byakuya replied coldly.

Renji nodded in acknowledgement. "I see… Anything else, my prince?"

Byakuya shook his head. "No, you are dismissed."

The red head advisor bowed his head and was about to turn to leave until a cold voice began to speak again.

"One thing, Renji. Make sure _no one…" _Byakuya stressed the two words with seriousness.

"… _no one _shall know about this meeting. If any accidents occur, someone's death can be assured."

* * *

"Lady Rukia! Your breakfast is… ready…"

Kiyone's tone dropped to a whisper as she entered Rukia's bedroom with a plate of food in her hands. All she can see was a lady with a pair of violet eyes, thoughtfully staring out the window that was leaking sunlight from outside. Even after Kiyone placed the breakfast on the table, Rukia didn't show any sign of even noticing Kiyone entering the room. Not knowing what to say, Kiyone remained silent for a few moments.

* * *

_Four more days now… Only four…_

Rukia's eyes narrowed at the thought. The fear of being married to an old man whom she has no knowledge of kept her up pretty much the whole night. She couldn't think it through. Why can a person's fate be decided by the words of a person? Why did she have to come here? If she was born here, maybe she would've accepted this way of life, but she has lived in modern times for already 17 years. Since she was a child, she has been taught that one's fate is determined in the hands of oneself. But now she is suddenly told, everything is destiny.

_Your fate is decided by the emperor. It's destiny. Accept it._

But… how could she?

A single tear fell from the violet eyes which resonated with the sunlight leaking from the window. What can she do about it? She can't and doesn't know how to return to her time. Can anyone help her? Anyone…?

_I saved your life. Therefore, from now on, you may not die without my permission._

Her eyes widened slightly as those words were spoken in her mind. Byakuya? Why would he help her? She can't find any reason that he would even care about her life… but he did say…

… _you may not die without my permission._

Maybe… just maybe… he may help her. But what are the chances he will? Rukia remembered his emotionless and cold personality from their encounters. But then why would he have said that? There may be a slim chance that he might help her. And no matter how slim that chance is… Rukia wouldn't let go of it.

"Rukia-sama!"

Rukia's eyes turned to the voice. Kiyone had a worried expression on her face and no doubt, she was worried about her. Rukia smiled softly. At least in this time, someone still cares about her and would be sad for her.

"Lady Rukia. Are you okay…?" Kiyone asked hesitantly.

Rukia nodded slightly with a soft smile. "I'm fine, Kiyone."

"Your breakfast is ready."

Rukia nodded once more before walking towards the table where the food was placed. She sat down quietly and picked up the chopsticks. Looking at the plates of food, she was reminded of her lack of appetite. She returned the chopsticks back on the table.

"I'm sorry, Rukia-sama. Is the food not to your liking?" Kiyone asked worriedly.

"I just don't feel like eating." Rukia sighed.

Kiyone looked down at the floor. After a short moment, she took in a breath.

"Lady Rukia. You don't need to worry. I've overheard Lady Hisana and Prince Ukitake talking about this subject."

Rukia's violets shot up at those words.

"What did they say?" Rukia asked quickly.

"I heard that Hisana-sama asked Prince Ukitake to try to remove Lady Rukia's name off the list for the consorts. That will automatically lead Lady Rukia to the serving list, where people are divided to serve different masters. Once Lady Rukia reaches the age of 25, you will be able to return to your home."

"Ukitake-sama agreed to help?"

"I heard Prince Ukitake say to Hisana that she does not need to worry. He will do what he can to guide Lady Rukia the safest route."

A moment of silence passed between the two, before a small smile crept up to Rukia's face.

"Arigato, Kiyone."

Kiyone nodded with a reciprocal smile. Rukia picked up her chopsticks once again and reached for a dumpling on a plate. As just she was about to place it into her mouth, she signaled Kiyone to sit with her. Even though it's not the proper manner for the servants to sit with their masters, Kiyone hesitantly obliged. She sat across Rukia and watched as she chewed the dumpling in her mouth.

"Lady Rukia, today is the _fifteenth day of the first lunar month**_. The Lantern Festival will be held tonight on the streets! Shall we go?"

Rukia thought for a moment as she chewed. She was quite bored for the past few days, and after hearing the news that there would be someone helping her escape her dreadful situation, she decided that a festival might not be a bad idea. She swallowed the dumpling in her mouth and nodded.

"We'll go tonight." Rukia said as her hand guided the chopsticks to pick up another dumpling.

* * *

A spark flew into the night sky before it erupted into a beautiful blast of firework. Other sparks followed one after another as the streets were filled with bright lights and _dancing dragons**. _Lanterns were hung on many stalls lined up on the streets crowded by people. The sound of drums and music led everyone to be lively and cheerful. In the mist of the crowd, Kiyone can be seen calling out to Rukia who was following closely behind her. The two stopped in front of the dragon where it danced it circles, attracting a crowd. Kiyone was clapping happily as Rukia scanned the area to find something she'll be interested in. During the midst of the dragon dancing, Rukia sighted Toshiro across from her, separated by the dragon. When the turquoise eyes seemed to have caught her sight, Rukia waved. The prince moved around the dragon as well as Rukia, meeting each other half way.

"Prince Toshiro! What a coincidence!" Kiyone exclaimed.

"I was forced to come out here." Toshiro scoffed and pointed at the woman behind him.

The first thing that Rukia recognized when she saw the woman behind him was that this woman had very large breasts. She had long and wavy blond hair, light blue eyes, and a beauty mark under the right side of her mouth. Her curvaceous figure is matched with the beautiful red kimono with a small yellow chrysanthemum flower painted on the right hip. The only thing that bothered Rukia was the way her kimono was hanging loose, allowing her ample bosom to be revealed.

"You just look so bored all the time! I wanted you to be more cheerful, Shiro!" The woman pouted sarcastically at the prince.

Toshiro scoffed at her words, but that didn't stop the woman from moving towards Rukia.

"Hello there! My name is Rangiku, a friend of Prince Shiro!" Rangiku said cheerfully.

Hearing that addressing, the prince turned to her with his arms crossed.

"Address me properly, especially in front of all these people, you idiot!" Toshiro exclaimed.

Rukia laughed at the sight of their small bickering. "My name is Rukia Shizuko."

Rangiku clapped her hands together. "Alright! More people, more sake! Come join us, Rukia! Let's go!"

Rukia didn't even have the chance to react as the large breast woman dragged her across the street with Toshiro shouting from their backs.

* * *

A pair of misty grey eyes looked down from the balcony on the second floor of a delicate restaurant. The grey orbs spotted the dragon dance, and not long did it also captured the sight of his younger brother shouting at a large breast woman who was laughing as she dragged another female across the area… the female whom he immediately recognized.

"Prince Byakuya. Is something the matter?"

The cold prince turned his head to look at the voice.

"Nothing of importance. Some familiar faces… Tenth Prince, and some company."

Renji's eyes widened slightly.

"Prince Toshiro? He usually doesn't enjoy crowds—"

The red haired advisor remained silent for a brief moment when a thought popped into his mind.

"Rangiku's with him." Renji realized.

Byakuya merely nodded his head as he raised his cup and sipped the expensive tea. Just then, a man walked up the stairs. He had a plain white cloak around him with a white hood over his head, covering most of his facial features, leaving a hint of his thin lips and sharp jawline. Byakuya and Renji's sight locked on the figure as he slowly made his way to their table. A voice came from under the white garments.

"Long time no see, Prince Byakuya, Advisor Abarai."

"Have a seat." The cold prince said coolly.

The white figure bowed respectively before sitting on the seat between the two imperial men.

"Rangiku's here tonight." The red head stated.

The man showed no visible reaction to his words.

"And before I forget… Happy Birthday." Renji smiled softly.

* * *

"Cheers!"

Rangiku's voice echoed through the sky as she raised her sake bottle in the air. Her face was slightly flush over the first few bottles she chugged down earlier. Toshiro was sitting across from her with an obviously bored expression on his face. Earlier, Rangiku dragged them to a restaurant stall where they sold _yuanxiao**_. At first a few bowls of the rice dumplings were ordered, but soon after, dozens of sake bottles marched up to Rangiku. She insisted that the group have some, but Toshiro was obviously disinterested. Kiyone, not wanting to go against orders from a higher rank, sipped a small bit of the sake, resulting her to be red-faced immediately and shouting along with Rangiku about the awesomeness of sake. Rukia held her liquor, taking only small sips so she doesn't collapse. She had some experience in drinking alcohol back in her modern time. Suddenly, Rangiku's voice roared through the air.

"Today is the best!" The blond female voiced in a high pitch tone.

Toshiro scoffed. "Rangiku. You're drunk."

"Just let me be, Shiro. It's my birthday, don't be such a meanie." Rangiku countered.

Rukia's violets widened slightly. "Today's your birthday, Rangiku-san?"

Rangiku nodded she chugged down another bottle of sake in a matter of seconds.

"I actually don't know my birthday, but this date was given to me by someone I trust."

When a loud explosion reached her ears from the skies, her head turned to look at the fireworks. The sight brought her to remember a memory of her past. A memory from many years ago…

_Then I'll have the same birthday as ya, Rangiku. That's 'kay, right, Rangiku?_

Sensing her sudden change of emotions, Toshiro shouted at her.

"Rangiku! Finish up and we're leaving!"

Rangiku snapped away from her thoughts and began to whine.

"But, Shiro… I just met Rukia-chan…" She pouted sarcastically.

"We have to return. Momo, Kira and Hisagi are waiting for us."

Rangiku's eyes widened at the reminder. "Oh right! I completely forgot!"

Rukia turned to look at Kiyone, who was completely drunk as she was dancing to the beat of the drums that rung through the air.

"I'm sorry, Prince Toshiro, but can you take Kiyone back to the Thirteenth Mansion? I'm afraid she will have trouble doing so herself. I wish to continue to walk for a bit myself." Rukia requested.

Toshiro turned to the raven haired girl. The prince nodded as Rangiku was already starting to drag Kiyone away.

"Then Rukia-chan! I'll drink more with you next time!" The blond head beamed a large smile at Rukia.

"Of course, Rangiku-san. It was nice meeting you." The raven haired girl gave her a smile.

Rangiku waved at her direction as she happily skipped off with Kiyone, with Toshiro a few steps behind. As Rukia got up and started to leave, she was stopped by the stall manager.

"Miss, your bill is 30000 yen." The manager stated.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Rukia reached into her kimono attempting to feel for her wallet. Then she remembered that it was Kiyone that usually carries the money for her.

"I am so sorry, I'm afraid I forgot." Rukia bowed nervously.

As the store manager looked like he was about to burst into rage, a small money pouch was held out by a hand extended from behind Rukia.

* * *

_"Your information will serve us great use. Arigato. You are dismissed."_

_The white cloaked man stood up and bowed respectively at the cold prince before exiting through the stairs, leaving only the advisor and the prince in the balcony._

_"This information must be relayed to the emperor." Renji stated._

_"You will go; I wish to stay for a while before I return." Byakuya replied._

_Renji stood up and bowed before leaving through the stairs. Byakuya turned to look down from the balcony and saw the white haired prince leaving with the two earlier females. Noticing that one was missing, Byakuya scanned and quickly found Rukia sitting alone at the stall. As she was about to leave, a man stopped in front of her. Byakuya left his chair and soon, no one was left on the balcony._

* * *

"No change needed."

Recognizing the cold voice, Rukia turned quickly to face the sixth prince and bowed nervously.

"Byakuya-sama!"

The store manager took the money pouch and bowed before returning to his stall. Byakuya stared at Rukia who was noticeably fidgeting.

"Why are you alone?" The prince questioned.

"I-I wished to look around before heading home." Rukia spoke nervously.

"You intend to look around a festival filled with stalls when there is no money in your pockets?"

"I am sorry to trouble you, B-Byakuya-sama!" Rukia cried out as she bowed again.

Byakuya remained silent for a moment before turning his back to her.

"Let's go. I'll escort you back to the mansion."

"There is no need t—"

"Let's go." Byakuya commanded.

Unable to say no, Rukia followed the cold prince as they began walking through the crowd of people on the street. Their walk didn't have a conversation in between, because Rukia was too intimidated to say a word to Byakuya. The grey eyes seemed to only focus on straight ahead of the path, but that didn't stop Rukia from looking at random stalls in awe. Once she sighted a cage of bunnies, she temporarily forgot about Byakuya and ran towards the stall. Byakuya stopped for a moment as he stared her, before moving closer to the stall himself.

"They are so cute!" Rukia crouched down to get a better look at the mini rabbits.

The female store manager smiled at her. "These are gifts to those who win the game."

Rukia looked up at the middle-aged woman. "How do you win?"

The woman pointed at a dartboard that was pinned on the wall.

"Simple. You hit the center, you win." The woman explained.

As Rukia reached out to touch the bunnies, a dark shadow overlaid her figure, causing Rukia to quickly stand and turn around. Seeing the prince behind her, she quickly bowed.

"I am sorry, Byakuya-sama, but I—" Rukia got cut off before she can finish.

"You like rabbits?"

Rukia looked up at the handsome prince and nodded hesitantly. Byakuya looked over Rukia and stared at the rabbits for a short while before he spoke again.

"Do your best to win."

Rukia's eyes widened in surprise; she didn't expected the emotionless prince out of all people to approve of her playing such a childish game to win something that is probably so easy for him to obtain. Regardless, Rukia gave him a wide smile before she requested darts from the woman. With a dart in her hand, Rukia stood on the small yellow strip line on the floor before she began to aim. She and the dartboard were about 15 feet away from each other and Rukia never had any experience with dart throwing before. The woman stood a fair distance next to the dartboard and Rukia waited for the signal to start.

"You may begin." The woman stated.

Rukia took aim, but she was never good at this stuff. She had to depend on her luck on this one. Giving a silent prayer, she threw the dart with force. The dart landed on the tree that the woman was standing right next to, a mere few inches before the dart would've murdered her. The woman stared at the dart in horror as Rukia gasped and bowed.

"I am so sorry! I'm sorry!" Rukia repeated.

Byakuya was behind Rukia the whole time and had to suppress a small laugh that was threatening to escape his lips. He quickly regained his emotionless posture and walked up towards the tree and pulled out the dart. He then walked to Rukia and stood right next to her. Rukia's violets widened as she saw Byakuya focus on the dartboard with his arm readying to fire the dart. After a few seconds, the dart launched out of his hand and landed perfectly in the middle of the dartboard. Rukia gasped in awe and clapped, momentarily forgetting his noble status.

"That was amazing, Byakuya-sama! How did you do that?!" Rukia exclaimed.

"It wasn't a hard task if you know how to aim." He replied.

Then Rukia was approached by the middle-aged woman who quickly gave her a cage of rabbits.

"You won! Thank you! Have a nice day!" The woman bowed and quickly fled.

Rukia stared at her with confusion as Byakuya suppressed another laugh that threatened to escape.

"You scared her off. Let's return home before you murder someone."

Rukia blushed at her embarrassing moment and quickly followed Byakuya as he began to walk towards the mansion. For their whole walk home, Rukia's eyes only captured the rabbits as they nibbled on small carrots while Byakuya's grey orbs focused on the road in front of them. When they reached the front of the Thirteenth Prince's mansion, the two stopped walking. Walking towards the entrance, Rukia turned around and bowed to Byakuya once again.

"Arigato, Byakuya-sama." Rukia smiled gently.

Byakuya only nodded slowly in reply and turned to walk away from her. After Rukia entered the mansion, she was immediately greeted by Hisana's questions about where she was so late. After minutes of persuading Hisana that she was alright, Hisana seemed quite tired herself and didn't pursue anymore answers from Rukia before she returned to her room. Soon, Rukia found herself on the bed staring at the rabbits that were next to her in a cage placed on top of a small desk. Finally, her eyes have tired out and the violets were curtained by her eyelids. For tonight and tonight only, Rukia seemed to have forgotten all her worries.

* * *

_* Shijian - In Chinese, Shi means ten [十] and Jian means a sword/blade [剑]. So Shijian means Ten Swords. If you know, in Bleach, Espada means ten blades or ten swords. That can be interpreted that this tribe will be a threat to the Wen Dynasty. More will be explained later on._

_**Lantern Festival [元宵節 ]/ Fifteenth Day of the First Lunar Month / Dancing Dragons / Yuanxiao - This is an official Chinese Holiday, celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, celebrating the first full moon. Dragon dances, lion parades, and fireworks are common throughout this holiday. The dragon is actually a long serpent shaped body on poles, combined by joining the series of hoops on each section and attaching the ornamental head and tail pieces at the ends. The dances are performed by a skilled team, one member wielding one pole/section of the dragon, so the size of the dragon varies up to 70 meters for large parades. It is believed the longer the dragon is, the more luck it will bring. Yuanxiao is a sweet rice dumpling consumed usually only during these special holidays._

* * *

**_Aww... I dunno if you found this cute, but I got this idea randomly from my dreams. /stupid author/ Anyway, thank you for reading. Questions, comments, concerns, grenades, rocket launchers, all welcomed. XD I feel strongly about Rangiku's story and if you know enough about Bleach, you probably will be able to guess easily who the man in white is. Once again, thank you for reading. It's 5 in the morning and I'm dying here. XD Have a nice day. :3 _**


	6. Unpredictable Future

**For the millionth time, I am sorry for the late update. I had no idea what to write about. For the past few days, I've been researching Bleach characters that may somehow incorporated with my story. I tried the best I can. XD For some reason, I always find myself only being able to write after midnight, when everyone is asleep. I guess it helps my focus. I dunno. Anyway, sorry for the wait. Here it is, introducing some new characters once again. Hope it doesn't bore you. XD**

**Special thanks to PAMILA DE CASTRO, Ragelvlitsover9000 and Ahuiliztli for reviewing. It helps. Really. It does. XD **

**Hope you guys enjoy reading. Not particularly long but, I hope it satisfies you. XD**

**DISCLAIMER : I do not own any Bleach characters. **

* * *

It was in the early morning, when the sun shone brightly on the surface of the world. The streets were already filled with people, with stalls on either sides of the road. Some people were observing the items and products that were at the stalls, once in a while a beggar comes into sight sitting on the streets with a small bowl begging for money. Yells of prices for items can be heard from advertisers throughout the street. Inside an accessory store, Rukia and Hisana can be seen sitting while Kiyone stood behind her masters. Soon, the shopkeeper returned to his customers and brought back a small chest. Inside, there were multiple hairpins, earrings, and other accessories, each with a unique design and symbol.

"Rukia, do you like any of them?" Hisana asked as she studied the accessories.

Rukia briefly scanned the items, and soon shook her head in response.

"This is one of the most famous stores in the city. It's best if you buy everything in one store, then, we don't need to go to another store."

"Onee-san, you say that in every store. This is the fifth one." Rukia groaned.

"These are preparations for when you enter the palace. I'm not tired yet and you already are. The palace is not like our home. Shouldn't you buy what you need for various events that may happen in the future? I know that you do not like attention, but some accessories on you will be necessary in the palace. It's a matter of respect and image to the emperor, Rukia."

"Lady Hisana, Lady Rukia." The shopkeeper began as he pulled out another small chest. "I also have these butterfly earrings, the most valuable in my store."

Rukia took a glance at them and was about to comment how beautiful they are indeed before a new voice was heard.

_"What is the most valuable?"_

A feminine voice spoke as a figure entered the store. It was a slender and youthful woman with long brown hair that was hung up with a hairpin decorated by a sharp design. She also had brown eyes, matched with elegant facial features. Her body was cover with an elegant kimono, with graceful yellow flowers on a purple background. Two stoic females were seen following her who stood behind her when she stopped a few feet in front of Hisana and Rukia. The two sisters rose from their seats and stared at the woman. Hisana, who seemed to recognize the lady, bowed respectfully to the intruder.

"Lady Ran'Tao."

The brown eyes moved to Rukia but remained silent as if waiting for something. Seeing that her sister bowed and hearing her addressing the woman as 'lady', Rukia realized that this woman's rank is superior. She quickly bowed and repeated Hisana's words.

"Lady Ran'Tao."

The woman remained silent for a brief moment before nodding slightly. "You may rise."

At those words, Rukia and Hisana lifted their heads as Ran'Tao reached over to grab a hold of the chest containing the butterfly earrings. She examined the jewelry and nodded her head.

"This is indeed a valuable. I'll take it."

Rukia's eyes narrowed in response. They were the first to lay their eyes on the earrings first. A woman just suddenly jumped in and declared that she'll be taking what she was about to buy. That was so disrespectful. In the modern times, Rukia would immediately yell at the woman for being such a rude prick. But now around her is the era of history, where people cannot disobey the ones above their ranks without consequences; punishment, prison, or even _death._ Rukia can only take a deep breath and calm herself, even though she does not even know who the hell this woman is.

"Lady Ran'Tao. The earrings suit you well. My sister and I shall go to another store to find less valuable accessories." Hisana stated as she bowed once again.

Ran'Tao nodded and Hisana began to make her way towards the exit. Rukia and Kiyone quickly followed after bowing as well, as if lava was about to engulf the store. After the two stepped out of the store, Ran'Tao turned to the exit where they had just left, staring at Rukia's direction.

"Who was that woman next to Hisana?" Ran'Tao asked with a tone of subtle curiosity.

One of her followers replied. "Lady Ran'Tao. That was Shizuko Rukia, sister of Shizuko Hisana. She's also a candidate for the upcoming consort choosing."

Ran'Tao didn't say a word for a moment as a slight mischievous grin formed on her face.

_Shizuko Rukia…_

* * *

Once they reached outside, Hisana walked towards their family horse carriage. The three entered the carriage and the driver whipped the horse once before the large wagon began to move.

"Onee-san. Who was that woman?" Rukia asked curiously.

"She is Lady Ran'Tao, a consort of the emperor."

Rukia's violets widened at the words. "She is so young and beautiful!"

"Emperor's consorts are chosen every three years. Of course there will be all kinds of ages. But…" Hisana paused for a moment._ "…I hope, you will not be one of them after tomorrow..."_

* * *

Two days passed quickly, and it was time to report to the palace. In Rukia's room, the sisters are seen sitting on the bed with a depressing atmosphere. Rukia's hands were held by Hisana, settled on her lap. Neither of them was smiling, not even close. Rukia was saddened, not only because of having to enter the palace, but also because she had to say goodbye to her sister and home. She had developed a bond in this house with Hisana and Kiyone during this short time. Despite the fact she has only 'came' here for a mere five days, she felt like she had known them for much longer.

"Onee-san. We are still in the same city, not separated by the oceans." Rukia tried to console her sister, even though she might be more in need of consoling herself.

"Even if it's just a palace wall between us, we cannot meet easily." Hisana's eyebrows further narrowed at the thought.

Rukia's eyes drifted away from Hisana. She knows that herself. For the past days, Hisana had been teaching her the rules inside the palace, including the need to _kowtao*_ anytime when the emperor is in sight. The most important thing is, the women in the palace, whether it's the maids or consorts, all belong to the emperor. Therefore, without special permission or situations, no one is allowed to leave or enter the palace at will. After a short while, Kiyone entered the room, with Ukitake and Sentaro following a few steps behind.

"Lady Hisana, Lady Rukia. Master Ukitake is here." Kiyone bowed to her two lady masters.

The sisters turned their heads to the prince and rose before bowing. After the prince nodded, the two rose and Hisana resumed staring at Rukia worriedly. Seeing that, Ukitake began to speak.

"Hisana, you do not need to be too worried. Since I promised, I will do whatever I can."

Hisana lowered her head in response. "Thank you, Ukitake-sama."

Ukitake nodded once again before holding his hands behind his back. "I have ordered Sentaro to accompany Rukia to the palace. We shall leave now."

Hisana's eyes began to tear up at the announcement. Ukitake knew that he should leave them alone for a short while to say farewells so he left the room to wait outside. Rukia's violets also began to water. It was too cruel to strip away the one she trusted the most in this foreign era. Not only that, her 'sister' was treating her with love and care she lacked from her world. The first time, she couldn't bring herself to tell Hisana that she was not actually her sister. But now, she was probably going to separate from her for years and god knows what will happen to her during this time. Rukia felt water about to run down her nose, so she sniffed before she starts her confession.

"Onee-san… The young sister in front of you…" Rukia paused for a moment to collect her words. "… is not the Shizuko Rukia from the past…"

Hisana smiled softly. "I know."

Rukia's eyes shot up at her words. "You know?"

"I knew it a long time ago."

Rukia can only give a sound of astonishment at the realization. _She knew? How could she? _

"How did you know?"

Hisana's smile widened. "I know, you understand things a lot more than the past. You understand better, how to care about others."

Rukia blinked a few times at the words. Hisana completely missed the true meaning of her words. Rukia's head lowered slowly until her violets fell upon her hands held in Hisana's.

_I feel like I'm cheating her feelings…_

Rukia looked up again to see Hisana's face. The usual face with always a caring and soft expression was now filled with all kinds of emotions: happiness at the realization that her younger sister was growing, worriedness about how her younger sister will live her life away from home, and most of all, sadness that her closest sister was being torn away from her hands.

_How I can tell her…?_

A single tear slid down Rukia's cheek.

_I can't…_

Rukia quickly moved forward to hug Hisana, which led Hisana's eyes to begin leaking. She wasn't one to cry, especially not in front of people… but in these circumstances, where she was losing a loved one… how can she not? Hisana returned the embrace and held her with a caring passion. But she knew, the longer they hold each other, the harder it will be to let go. Hisana then tore herself away from Rukia and pushed her slightly towards the entrance.

"Leave now." Hisana said with a voice barely above a whisper.

She then moved quickly away from Rukia and sat on the bed, raising her hand to her face in attempt to cover her sad emotions that were falling as rushing tears. Rukia understood, and waited for a brief moment before walking towards the exit. Kiyone followed closely behind, as if accompanying her master in her road for the last time.

"Lady Rukia…" Kiyone managed to croak out between her sniffles and waves of tears.

Rukia turned her head to look at the servant for a brief moment before turning to walk out the door again. As her feet walked out the door, Kiyone stopped in her tracks and returned to Hisana inside the room. Rukia's violets were leaking droplets of water, each drop sliding down her face freely. When she reached outside, Ukitake and Sentaro was waiting next to a horse carriage. She slowly walked towards them, dragging her feet lifelessly. She was then stopped by the prince, who began to speak.

"You needn't worry. I already made some adjustments. You will not be facing any bad situations."

As if she didn't hear anything, Rukia just walked past him and stepped up into the carriage. Sentaro bowed quickly to the prince before a whip was struck on the horse and the carriage began to move. During the short ride to the entrance of the palace, Rukia was just staring in a random direction pensively, trying to search for any thoughts of comfort.

_I saved your life. Therefore, from now on, you may not die without my permission._

Rukia's eyes narrowed as those words resounded in her mind, but her sad expression was slightly softened at the remembrance. She did not know why his statement suddenly appeared in her head like that, but when she began to think of random reasons, the sound of opening palace gates reached her ears.

* * *

In an open space somewhere within the palace, a line of young females were in order, all facing one direction. In front of them were two figures, one female and one male. The male was wearing a deep red kimono, made out of some fabric that were obviously not as silky as the ones Rukia seen before on princes. He had green-yellow eyes, short silver-gray hair that was brushed backwards in one direction. He also had a thin black handlebar mustache matching with lightly tanned skin. His serious and expression intimidated Rukia, but the female seemed a lot nicer with her soft smile. The female had light brown eyes and wore a light crimson robe. Her black hair is pulled into a bun and held in with a light blue tied cloth.

"All ladies, my name is Chojiro Sasakibe, manager of all servants and maids throughout the palace. Whether in the future, you will be chosen as a consort or a maid, all of you will serve the emperor. In this palace, you must live with these words engraved in your mind: 'Be careful of your words and be wary of your actions.' Every three years, I say this statement, but there are very little who actually heed my words. I hope you all do not disappoint me."

All the ladies in line, including Rukia bowed slightly. "We understand, Manager Sasakibe."

"From now on, you all need to learn and assist the services in the palace. Those who are not chosen as consorts will be become maids until the age of 25. Then if the emperor approves, you will then be sent out of the palace for marriage. All the rules and manners of the palace will be taught to you by Madam Momo Hinamori. I'll leave this to you." He motioned to the woman next to him before walking away.

As the Sasakibe began to move away, the line of girl disassembled and each went to talk to the one next to them. A young lady next to Rukia with green long hair began talking to her.

"Hello, my name is Nel." The green-head smiled warmly.

With a reciprocal smile, the raven haired girl nodded. "My name is Rukia."

Nel then sighed. "We don't even know how long we have to stay here. I do not wish to serve tea and sweep floors everyday…"

Then, Hinamori's soft voice cut into everyone's conversation.

"Manager Sasakibe just finished saying about being careful of your words. Please do remember this statement."

Everyone began to line up again and stayed silent.

"Today, you will all rest and assignment will be given to you tomorrow. From now on, you all will be serving masters. You must be careful at all times. You are dismissed."

The ladies bowed before walking a single file towards the exit. Hinamori suddenly approached Rukia and stopped in front of her.

"You are Rukia, right?" The friendly woman asked.

Rukia nodded in response.

"Prince Toshiro and Prince Ukitake have made arrangements for you. Your name for the consorts will be taken off the list."

The raven hair girl bowed slightly. "Thank you, Madam Hinamori."

Momo then glanced around their surroundings. After confirming there is no one else in sight, Momo leaned in a bit closer to Rukia.

"Living in the palace is different from the outside. Everywhere, there will be someone watching. Be careful and I will do my best to look after you."

Rukia nodded and thanked the friendly lady once again. Hinamori smiled and began to walk away, leaving Rukia alone in the area. She silently thanked the two princes in her mind for their care before she made her way towards her new room.

* * *

The morning birds chirped through the sky as the sun rays shone brightly above the palace. In a fairly large and length room, a row of beds can be seen, each with a person resting on one. Rukia was among them, sleeping on the bed that was furthest away from the door in the back of the room. When the sun rays hit her face from the opened window, the warmth made her shift and uncomfortable. She tried moving and turning to a cooler position, but when she realized she can't, her heavy eyelids opened and she was staring at the ceiling. She blinked a few times before releasing a suppressed yawn, demonstrating how tired she was.

Last night, she made her way towards her assigned bed and unpacked her things quickly in order to get some rest. When she realized she couldn't, whether it was because she missed her home or was scared of being alone in this foreign land, Nel began to talk to her. Turns out the green head was assigned on the bed right next to her. Rukia was glad that she at least has someone to talk to, especially during times like this. Nel reintroduced herself, giving her full name Nelliel Schiffer, the sister of a general who is out on a mission. Of course, Rukia also shared some of her background, how she came from the thirteenth prince's mansion and her family name. They began with some formal talk, then somehow ended up talking about their favorite animals, then to what they like in boys, and then everything they thought of. Before they realized it, it was late and they both decided they will have to sleep for some energy. All that talking made them both tired, so the two easily drifted off to sleep. But obviously, Rukia was not satisfied with the little time she slept.

Rukia sat up, her blanket falling to her lap. She stretched her arms into the air, releasing another yawn in the process. As soon as her hands dropped back down to her lap after stretching, the door to the room was opened and Hinamori walked in. As before, her soft and friendly smile was still fixed on her elegant face.

"Alright ladies, it's time to wake up." She said with hidden slight authority.

A sequence of groans and moans were released into the room before everyone sat up, including Nel. Everyone turned to Hinamori, who had a paper of names on her list. After Hinamori saw everyone awake, she proceeded.

"Everyone, please get up and change into your uniforms. Then, assemble outside and I shall announce your posts."

Hinamori then left the room and everyone followed her instructions. They all got up swiftly, but Nel seemed to be a bit unique. Her eyelids were threatening to close every second after a subtle movement, and the drool that is about to drop from the corner of her mouth does not seem to help her in waking either. Rukia nudged her in hoping to get her back in action. Finally, Nel got into her uniform after Rukia finished about ten minutes later. Because of that, they were the last ones to be out of the room. All the ladies were lined up yesterday, all wearing the same single-colored light pink kimono. Hinamori was silent, waiting in front of the ladies. When her eyes landed on Nel and Rukia, she rescanned the whole line, as if doing a count checking for the number of people present. After counting the last, she seemed satisfied and began to speak again with her arm raising up the paper in her hand.

"These are your assignments. You will be serving the indicated masters, whether they are other consorts, princesses or queen, until notified otherwise."

Hinamori withdrew her arm from the air and began reading off the names. Everyone on line seemed anxious to know who they will be assigned to, hearing that some masters are very hard to please while some are very generous to their servants.

"First, Kurosaki Karin and Kurosaki Yuzu, assigned to Princess Yoruichi."

The two petite ladies had completely different reactions. The one with light brown hair seemed cheerful and optimistic, while the black haired lady seemed uninterested at the subject. Whispers began to start from the women, some saying how Yoruichi was a very generous master, some being jealous that the two were assigned to her.

"Then, Tatsuki Arisawa, assigned to Princess Soi Fon."

The dark purple haired woman's reaction was similar to the black haired girl earlier, except she looks more determined and focused. Whispers started again, hearing some glimpses of a tomboyish princess.

Some more names were called out, and finally only Nel and Rukia were left. As the others were whispering with varying expressions, Nel nudged Rukia on the shoulder.

She leaned her head slightly lower. "I hope we get assigned to the same master." She whispered.

Rukia smiled and nodded to her new friend and when Hinamori was about to speak again, their attention was focus on the announcer.

"Lastly, Shizuko Rukia and Schiffer Nelliel…" Momo paused for a moment.

The atmosphere suddenly seemed thick all of the sudden and Rukia couldn't figure out why… until the next name came out of Momo's lips.

"_Lady Ran'Tao."_

* * *

_kowtao* : is a Chinese term, which is a form of respect to the Emperor. When people kowtao, it means they go on their knees with their forehead and hands touching the floor, a manner of bowing down to the Emperor_'s power and superiority.

* * *

**Uh oh. Ran'Tao, the evil woman. /GASPS/ Okay, Ran'Tao is an actual Bleach character, specifically a scientist from the Bount Arc. She's not famous or anything but I just looked at her face and thought that she can be the evil beauty of the game. ;D Yes, the Kurosaki sisters are included. Bwaha. That means Ichigo or Isshin gotta have some connections to the palace. Maybe. /shrugs/ Nel... Schiffer. I know, I know. /ULQUIORRA FANGIRLSCREAM/ Haha. Yes, I've decided to make the two related as siblings. The brother goes out to a mission while the sister has to be sent to the palace because of her social status. Bwaha. Sasakibe was the lieutenant of Squad 1 in Bleach when Yamamoto was still in lead, so I figured I'll throw that in. Momo also makes her appearance with the usual friendliness. Obviously, Toshiro and Ukitake seemed to have come to an agreement with Momo to help Rukia somehow. Welp, I hope you enjoyed reading. Thank you for reading. Comments, questions, concerns and reviews all welcomed. I used to wonder why authors are so desperate for reviews, but now, I understand. The thrill of reading comments to your writing is awesome. I love it and it keeps me going. XD Thank you to those who followed and those who favorited this story. It means a lot. Arigato! **


	7. Time Limit

**It's almost been a month since my last update. You can kill me now. I tried to write, but school is starting soon and I have to prepare. This is an important year for me, but I'll always find some time to write. I really would love to thank all my reviewers so far. They were the best motivations I needed to keep writing. I decided I have to update today because it's the 1st of a new month. If I take any longer, you guys will not forgive me and I wouldn't forgive myself, either. The lack of motivation these days are probably due to the authors I follow on FF are not updating for a long time as well and I felt a bit off. XD Thank you for sticking with me, if you still are. Nothing really exciting about this chapter, just a link to the bomb.**

**Special thanks to VKLOREO23, I-Got-A-Quill and guest[Ragelvlitsover9000] for reviewing. **

******Enjoy reading! :3**

******DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY BLEACH CHARACTERS.**

* * *

"_Lastly, Shizuko Rukia and Schiffer Nel assigned to…"_

… _Lady Ran'Tao._

* * *

"Why was Rukia assigned to Lady Ran'Tao?!"

Ukitake's loud volume was contained in Momo's personal closed room. His hands were clenched into fists on the table, resonating anger and worry. Sitting next to him was Toshiro, who appeared expressionless on the subject.

Earlier, after the news of Rukia serving Ran'Tao reached his ears, Ukitake rushed to the palace and requested a meeting with Hinamori. Along the way, the tenth prince saw him, but paid no attention. Later, when Rangiku stepped into his office and reported seeing Rukia following Ran'Tao, Hitsugaya finally realized what was going on. He immediately rushed to Hinamori's place. When he opened the doors, he saw Momo sitting apologetically, looking down at the table while Ukitake's fist was slammed down onto the furniture with a furious expression in place of the usual gentle smile. Toshiro gave a look to Ukitake, signaling him to calm down which the younger brother understood and relaxed his body muscles ever so slightly. But, his fists didn't relieve any tension.

"Lady Ran'Tao personally requested Rukia. I didn't have a legal reason to disobey." Momo stated with hinted sorrow.

Ukitake's grip lessened slightly. He understood. He understood the rules of the palace. He understood the laws and rules which everyone living in the palace has to follow. Rank and connection is everything. Emperor will always be at the top, following those with the most connections inside the palace. He couldn't blame Hinamori because he understands. He has to…

Toshiro was staring between the two. Known as the ice prince, he lived up to his name. No hint of caring emotion was visible on his facial features, unless you pay very close attention where you may notice the subtle narrowed white eyebrows. Although not visibly showing so, he indeed did care about the situation, currently analyzing multiple ways to solve the situation in which Rukia will have the most proper care.

The room was filled with silence, leading the three to create a slightly uncomfortable atmosphere, not that they were comfortable about discussing a matter that may lead Rukia to major consequences. Deciding that someone will need to break the silence, Hinamori bowed her head slightly.

"I am sorry that I have failed you, Prince Ukitake, Prince Toshiro."

Ukitake and Toshiro looked at the apologizing woman. The younger brother looked as if he wanted to say something but it seems he decided not to, whereas Toshiro immediately responded with his analytical voice.

"You needn't apologize. If Lady Ran'Tao personally requested, I'm sure there was nothing you could do about the subject."

Ukitake nodded in agreement. Seeing so, Hinamori raised her head back up slightly, but still refused to look at the two princes. Sensing the dense atmosphere, Toshiro broke the silence.

"Is Rukia off the list for the choosing?"

Momo slowly nodded in response. After hearing that news, Ukitake seemed to have loosened his muscles ever so slightly following a small sigh. Toshiro was also somehwat relieved, hearing some good news at least.

"Momo, just do what you can. We appreciate it." Toshiro said softly.

Understanding what to do, Hinamori nodded quietly. Ukitake's eyes narrowed in thought, thinking of a way to remove or at least rearrange Rukia's schedule. His thoughts were interrupted when Toshiro began to speak again.

"Ukitake."

The thirteenth prince looked up at the expressionless captain.

"In one week, there is the event. That time, we can..."

Ukitake's eyes widened in realization. He nodded, understanding the plan. After another moment of thinking, Ukitake's eyebrows narrowed further.

"Would he help us?"

Toshiro's expression didn't change, but stayed silent for a moment to think of an answer.

"It's not us he's helping..." Toshiro's voice lowered slightly.

"... it's Rukia."

* * *

After the announcement was given, all the ladies returned to their room. Rukia dragged her legs to her bed and sat down without a sound or word escaping from her lips. Her violet eyes were staring into space, gazing off as if the molecules in the air were suddenly so interesting. Nel studied her friend for a few moments, but soon, she could take the dead silence anymore.

"Rukia!" Nel shouted.

As if struck by lightning, Rukia snapped her violets and jumped back on the bed. Trying to calm her frightened heart, she held a hand on her chest. Turning her face to her friend, she gave her a glare.

"What was that for, Nel?!" Momentarily forgetting what she was thinking about.

"I should be asking you the questions. What's gotten into you?" Nel countered.

Rukia cocked up an eyebrow slightly, creating a what-are-you-talking-about expression. Nel huffed a breath, shaking her head and crossing her arms in response to her friend's density.

"You were so quiet and just stared off into space." Nel stated matter-of-factly.

Remaining silent for a brief moment as her thoughts rushed back into her mind, Rukia realized what Nel was talking about.

"Oh…" Was all Rukia can say as she slowly looked down.

Memory of the encounter at the accessory store returned to her. From that one meeting, Rukia can only say that Lady Ran'Tao was a bit… bossy? Rukia understood that it was natural due to the rank status, but for some reason, she just doesn't like the aura she releases into the atmosphere. So dense, so heavy…

_And so dark…_

Rukia snapped out of her thoughts once again when Nel nudged her on her side, signaling at the direction of the doorway. This caused Rukia to raise her head and look at the entrance. Her eyes were widened with surprise and happiness when she recognized Sentaro at the doorway.

"Nel, I'll be right back." She quickly said before bolting off to the doorway.

The green head could only blink in confusion as she sat alone on her bed.

"Sentaro! Why are you here?" Rukia immediately asked when she stopped running next to him.

The dark haired servant bowed slowly stared at Rukia for a short moment before turning his head to a direction behind him. Rukia moved to look behind him and sighted two figures. Recognizing who they are, Rukia began to make her way towards them, slowly and elegantly.

_Living in the palace is different from the outside. Everywhere, there will be someone watching._

Hinamori's advice came to her head as she realized she was outside, reminded by the warmth of the sun rays shining upon her. When she finally reached a respectful distance, she bowed.

"Prince Toshiro, Prince Ukitake."

Toshiro lifted a hand in the air to signal that she may rise, which she did quickly. Rukia seemed delighted to see familiar faces, considering that she didn't really like the new environment, but when she notice the uneasiness on their faces, she knew something was not going well.

"Is there something?" Rukia asked.

Toshiro was staring at Rukia with his stoic expression as always, but one can tell that he's slightly affected over something, hinted by the narrowed eyebrows. When Rukia decided that he wouldn't give an answer or explanation to her question, she turned to look at Ukitake, who seemed also troubled by something, but it was more obviously shown on his face.

"Rukia." Ukitake began. "You have heard the name of your new master, yes?"

Rukia nodded in reply. "Lady Ran'Tao."

"Do you know who she is?"

"A consort of the Emperor?" Rukia recalled Hisana saying so.

"Yes, but have you heard of anything else like her…" Ukitake tries to find a smoother way of speaking but obviously failing.

"… anything else like how she indirectly executed all her previous servants." Toshiro bluntly finished.

Ukitake shot a glare at Toshiro in disbelief, obviously meaning something like 'are-you-stupid-you-just-insulted-a-consort', but Toshiro didn't seem to care at all. Rukia's violets widened at the question, obviously shocked by the new detail of her new master. Trying to recover from the surprise, she shook her head slowly.

"None of her servants lasted more than one month alive." Toshiro stated.

Rukia's head began swimming with her random unlikely futures. She getting stabbed in the heart with a dagger, getting her head chopped off by an axe, being beaten to death while tied up, or even locking her up in a chamber with no food or water. Before her mind began to go as far as connecting Ran'Tao with aliens, Ukitake began speaking again.

"Lady Ran'Tao is very strict. Perhaps too strict…" Ukitake's voice trailed off as if remembering something.

"One time, she sentenced a servant to death because she accidentally used the wrong tea leaves in her tea." Toshiro further detailed.

Rukia seemed to turn pale at this, recalling how clumsy she can be. Her face turned sour when the thought of her life being so easily threatened over the smallest things she may do. She looked at Ukitake who was showing apologetic and worried look on his face. Seeing such emotions reminded Rukia of Hisana, thinking how worried she will be if she knew her little sister was under such stress and danger. Not wanting that, Rukia took a deep breath before speaking again.

"Okay. Thanks for the tip." She forced a large smile onto her face.

Ukitake and even Toshiro seemed surprised at the sudden change of expression. Their eyes widened slightly and looked at Rukia worriedly.

"Are you okay?" Ukitake asked slowly.

Rukia nodded strongly. "Yup."

Toshiro's expression returned back to his usual cold stare. "We basically told you that you may die tomorrow. You're okay with that?"

Rukia shrugged in response. "I understand, but there is no use worrying about it. I can take care of myself. I don't have any special skills, but I'm sure tasks like serving tea won't be hard for me."

Ukitake seemed to be slightly thrown off at this response, but also slightly relieved. He may know that she is just putting on a strong cover, but he is at least glad she's taking it better than he had imagined. Toshiro noticed Sentaro looking at them intently, signaling the time to leave. Rukia seemed to have noticed this and stared for a moment.

"Princes normally cannot visit these sites. We may not stay for long." Toshiro explained.

Rukia nodded in reply. "I understand."

"We will come visit you some other time. Hinamori will watch over you." Ukitake reminded.

Rukia smiled at this, reminded that there are still people caring for her and willing to help her.

"Arigato, Ukitake-sama, Toshiro-sama." Rukia bowed slightly.

"One week." Toshiro suddenly began.

Rukia didn't understand what five days meant, leading a confused expression planted on her face.

"If you can hold on for one week, we may be able to make some changes."

Rukia's expression didn't change, but looked at Ukitake for his reaction. The prince nodded and Rukia nodded in return. Even though she doubted at the possibility of her being alive until then, she can do nothing but trust her friends. She nodded and bowed slightly, a gesture of thanks and appreciation.

The two princes began walking their path as Sentaro hurriedly followed behind. Before they reached the gate, Ukitake stopped for a moment before turning back to Rukia. He slowly mouthed out words, considering their distance now that his voice is probably incomprehensible to her. Rukia stared and thought for a moment before realizing what he was saying. She nodded and waved in their direction. Ukitake smiled softly and resumed walking.

_Take care… Rukia._

* * *

The sound of crickets echoed through the night sky. Inside a brightly lit mansion, Ran'Tao can be seen sitting silently on a chair, eyes focused on the words written in the book held by her hand. Nel was standing silently in a corner of the room, mostly looking at her master to respond to any need she may request. Her hazel eyes turned to the doors as they slowly creaked open, revealing Rukia carrying a cup of freshly brewed tea. Ran'Tao didn't make a single gesture to acknowledge Rukia's entrance, making the two servants wonder if she was purposely ignoring her or was she really focused into her book. Nevertheless, Rukia continued her task, placing the warm tea cup on the table near Ran'Tao. While doing so, Rukia couldn't help but glance at the book, curious to see what it was about. When the sound of the cup hits the table, creating a minor clicking sound, Ran'Tao eyes shifted from the book upward to Rukia. This resulted in Rukia quickly withdrawing her hands and quickly walked next to Nel, body shaking nervously at the process. Nel also seemed affected by the sudden tense stare Ran'Tao was giving them, leading her to swallowed in hoping to calm her racing heartbeat. Ran'Tao turned her eyes back down, specifically to the teacup Rukia had just placed down. Steam was rising slowly from the cup, indicating its warm temperature. The lady silently extended her hand and reached for the tea. Her long fingers elegantly wrapped themselves around the cup. Her hand withdrew, bringing the cup close to her lips. Rukia and Nel's eyes followed every single movement of their master. Rukia was especially nervous; it was her first time brewing tea. If Hinamori wasn't there to help her, Rukia wouldn't even have known how to make any. Ran'Tao looked suspiciously at the cup, inhaling the scent of the tea before taking a small sip. As the liquid was gulped down, Rukia and Nel was shaking, afraid of the results. As they feared, Ran'Tao settled the cup back down on the table and turned to the servants. The atmosphere became much thicker and intense, sending chills down Rukia's spine.

"Who made that tea?" Ran'Tao questioned.

Taking a short deep breath, Rukia tried to calm her shaking body and bowed slightly.

"It was I, Lady Ran'Tao." Rukia managed to croak out.

Ran'Tao's eyes scanned the petite servant slowly from top to bottom as if analyzing her prey. Nel only stood in silence, silently praying for her friend's life. Rukia was shaking nervously, a bead of sweater traveling down the back of her neck.

_Is this it?_

Ran'Tao extended her hand to the cup once again and took another sip at the liquid.

_Is this it for me?_

Moments later, Ran'Tao released a small sigh.

_I am doomed-_

"It was pretty good."

This both shocked and relieved Rukia. At first she thought she was being played, but when she glanced at the tea cup, noting that it was indeed finished, Rukia bowed at the compliment.

"Your name is Rukia, right?"

Rukia raised her head slowly and nodded in reply.

"That was your first time making tea?"

Rukia nodded silently once again. Ran'Tao studied Rukia silently for another brief moment. Her eyes then began to drift away from the servant and went back to her book.

"You both are dismissed for the night." Ran'Tao stated.

Hearing that, a huge weight seemed to have lifted off the ladies shoulders. They bowed, and eagerly exited the room, while trying to create as less sound as possible. When the door closed, Ran'Tao looked up from her book to glance at the entrance. Her lips then silently curved into a small sly smile.

* * *

When Rukia and Nel reached their room, specifically assigned to the servants of Ran'Tao, the two began to change into their plain white clothing, also called in modern times 'pajamas'. Rukia quickly plopped onto her bed, taking slow deep breaths to dissolve the earlier event. Nel began to jump on her bed happily.

"We lived, we lived, we lived!" Nel cheered as she bounced up and down.

Rukia couldn't help but giggle at the sight of her friend. Even though Nel's life was never actually at stake, she was jumping for joy for her friend. Rukia knew that it was enough to prove that her friend cared for her.

"You better stop. Jumping on the bed isn't exactly a gesture of good manners in the palace." Rukia reminded her friend.

Hearing that, Nel almost immediately stopped. She then moved to sit next to her friend.

"I'm just happy we both got through. I honestly thought that she was going to punish you or something." Nel confessed.

Rukia took a small thought into that. "Yeah… I thought so, too…"

Of course she thought so. In fact, she thought she could've died right on the spot if Ran'Tao wanted her to. She closed her eyes and gave a silent thank to the gods for guiding her life through the day. Soon, Rukia's eyelids began to grow heavy. Nel seemed to feel the same way but who can blame them? The two quickly ended their conversations and went straight to bed. Only a mere few minutes passed after the candles were out in the area and Nel's snoring began to echo throughout the room. Rukia disregarded the noise and instead, drifted off to her thoughts.

_If you can hold on for one week, we may be able to make some changes._

The hopeful words resonated in Rukia's mind. She gave one final prayer to the stars before releasing a pattern of light snoring.

* * *

A pair of misty grey eyes was fixed on a pond of koi. Due to the night time, the fishes have already retired for resting, making the water in the pond completely still. An occasional light breeze disturbs the water, but within seconds, the water returns to its original state. Only minor ruffling of the leaves and grass can be heard when the wind passes by. This silence extended for a long period of time, until it was interrupted by approaching footsteps.

"Byakuya-sama, Prince Toshiro and Prince Ukitake wishes to have a word with you."

Byakuya moved his eyes away from the pond and turned to his guests. He gave a short glance at his advisor, which he immediately understands and retreats from the scene. When the area was cleared of anyone else, Byakuya's eyes fixed on the two princes, waiting for an explanation of their visit.

"Byakuya." Ukitake began. "We want to discuss something with you."

"What is it?" The cold prince responded.

"It's about Rukia."

The name Rukia ignited a small spark of interest in Byakuya's mind. Recalling their encounters, he began to wonder what she may have gotten herself into this time that made three princes form a discussion about it.

"She was assigned to Lady Ran'Tao in result of the consort choosing." Toshiro continued.

_Ran'Tao?_ Now that explains why Rukia was a topic of discussion. Byakuya has never cared about the news around the palace, but he did hear some things about the abnormal number of executions coming from the lady's mansion.

"That is none of my concern." Byakuya calmly stated.

"We want your assistance in the matter." Ukitake requested.

"I don't see how I fit into this."

"In one week, the Emperor will have to meet with the leader of the Shi Jian tribe. A number of princes, servants, followers will be chosen to follow along. During this time, we can make some arrangements to her post." Toshiro explained.

"You want me to request her to participate in the event?"

"Byakuya, you will definitely be invited to the event, considering how father leaves so many work in your care. If Toshiro or I do not get the opportunity, we wish for Rukia to be under your care."

"What makes you believe I will agree to this?" Byakuya questioned.

The moment of silence fills the air as a breeze passes by.

"You have no reason to." Toshiro stated matter-of-factly.

Ukitake's prolonged silence also suggests that he had nothing to counter the statement. Slightly amused at this, Byakuya hid a slight smile of dominance. He recalled his first encounter with Rukia. He happened to be there when she was about to fall. Instead of thanking him, she flared out at him, a very unusual act from normal people. This sparked Byakuya's interest, and he wouldn't mind learning a bit more about her. Her life… belongs to him now after all…

_I saved your life. Therefore, from now on, you may not die without my permission. _

"I know what to do."

* * *

**The mini-starting point of ByaRuki. XD What will Byakuya do? I dunno. I seriously don't know, even though I'm the writer. XD I'm horrible. Well, too prevent taking long times to update, I have already started the next chapter so it'll update quicker than last time. :3 Writing is not easy, and I'm just really happy that some people out there are actually liking it. As usual, comments, questions, concerns, suggestions, throw them all at me. I take them all. :3 Thank you for following and/or reviewing if you did. It helps a lot. A whole lot. So thank you again. :3**


End file.
